In Order to Heal
by MizukiYukiko
Summary: The day Uchiha Sasuke returned to Konoha, Naruto's broad arm slung around his shoulders with a glowing smile plastered on his face, was supposed to be the best day of her life. Instead, she crouched on top of a roof that overlooked the gates with a look of contempt hidden under her ceramic ANBU mask. SasukexSakura. Post Shinobi World War. 50 shinobi theme #6. Bandage.
1. Scars

Story: In Order to Heal

Author: MizukiYukiko

Rated: T

Pairing: SasukeXSakura

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Naruto.

Summary: The day Uchiha Sasuke returned to Konoha, Naruto's broad arm slung around his shoulders with a glowing smile plastered on his face, was supposed to be the best day of her life. Instead, she crouched on top of a roof that overlooked the gates with a look of contempt hidden under her ceramic ANBU mask. Post Shinobi World War.

Notes: 50_shinobi themed challenge #6. Bandage.

This is a post Shinobi World War story. I have taken some liberties with the cannon. As in some people who die in the manga are not dead in my story (mostly because I'm in denial). Additionally, there are people in my story who are dead at the end of the war who may never die in the manga. Just bear with me – there's a purpose for anything.

* * *

**In Order to Heal**

**Chapter 1: Scars**

* * *

_"I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut_  
_My weakness is that I care too much_  
_And my scars remind me that the past is real_  
_I tear my heart open just to feel"_

_-Scars by Papa Roach_

* * *

The day (or technically night, seeing as it was almost two o'clock in the morning) Uchiha Sasuke returned to Konoha, Naruto's broad arm slung around his shoulders with a glowing smile plastered on his face, was supposed to be the best day of her life. Instead, she crouched on top of a roof that overlooked the gates with a look of contempt hidden under her ceramic ANBU mask. Twenty-year-old ANBU captain Haruno Sakura scanned them from afar with calculated medic eyes. Both Naruto and Sasuke were injured, but the wounds seemed to be superficial. Although she was still furious with Naruto for leaving her behind, and although she still resented and hated Sasuke for doing the same, a wave of relief washed over her. She was still angry, bitter, and resentful of both of them, but she was still happy they were alive and apparently well.

Sakura felt two familiar presences step up next to her. Their faces were hidden behind their ANBU masks that reflected strongly under the glare of the moonlight, yet Sakura instantly knew who they were. Over the past two years, while Naruto had been off searching for Sasuke, Sakura had developed an odd bond with the two men standing on either side of her. It began when they were all put on the same squad to help clean up Fire Country after the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Naruto had left the village almost instantly following the war – just after Sakura's eighteenth birthday – in search for Sasuke, leaving Sakura behind to clean up the mess, by herself, without her best friend. Her heart wrenched as she thought of the night that she begged Naruto to stay; she had released him from his promise. Sakura didn't need Sasuke as long as Naruto was there for her. She had told him this, but he left anyway, telling her he wouldn't come back until Sasuke was with him. .

'_No one can take back a promise of a lifetime, Sakura-chan_.'

Worse yet, everyone else let him go, praising him as the hero. He was a hero. He had done more than anyone in the war efforts to bring down Madara and spread peace throughout the nations. But that didn't mean he needed to leave to get Sasuke. If Sasuke wanted to return, then he should have done it without anybody dragging his ass back. At least, that's what Sakura thought.

"You alright?" Shikamaru drawled lazily from behind his mask. Sakura made a noncommittal grunt from the back of her throat. The border patrols had alerted Tsunade about the current homecoming, and Sakura's ANBU squad, along with Neji's and Shikamaru's, had been given the duty of collecting the duo once they were within Konoha walls. She, Neji, and Shikamaru had formed this strange bond over the past two years. After righting Konoha to its former glory, they began training, eating, and spending time (shogi, cloud watching, and drinking on their list of favorite pastimes) together. Finally, they all chose to take the ANBU exams as a team since most of their previous teammates were either away from Konoha, dead from the war, or not yet ready to take the exams. That was about a year ago; nine months after their advancement into ANBU, all three had been promoted to ANBU captain and given their own squad to lead.

"What are we going to do?" Neji questioned from her other side, his strong, deep voice muffled behind his horse mask. All three of their ANBU squads stood behind them as they waited for orders. "Sakura?"

"Let's go."

As Naruto and Sasuke passed the threshold of the village gates, the three ANBU captains dropped in front of them. Neji stood in the middle with Shikamaru and Sakura flanking his sides. The other nine ANBU members present – three of them being under Sakura's direct command – formed a circle around the two boys. A wind ripped through the deserted streets, and Sakura suddenly felt as if they were in some old-fashioned standoff. The hot summer air was enough to give that impression – then again, it was ten degrees hotter under her ANBU mask, cloak, and hood. All they needed was tumbleweed to roll across the dirt street between them.

"What's going on?" Naruto yelled indignantly, going to shield Sasuke from the three people who seemed to be in the lead. The Uchiha's face stayed stoic, but his Sharingan activated automatically at the threat. He couldn't tell who they were, but he knew, judging by the formation, that these three were in charge.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Neji said, his voice filled with command, "You are being detained as a missing-nin from Konoha until further notice."

Sasuke stayed stoic, as if he had been expecting this. Naruto, though, was never so subtle. "What?" Naruto bellowed, his eyes turning red with fury. "This is utter bull shit! Everybody knew I was going to get him and bring him back! Why are you arresting him?!"

"Uzumaki," Neji continued, pulling off his mask and hood to reveal his face, "Calm down before we arrest you as well."

Shikamaru followed suit, removing his white mask that took shape as a monkey, but Sakura kept her mouse-shaped mask firmly in place. "This is troublesome Naruto, cut it out."

"You guys are both ANBU now?" Naruto asked quietly as his eyes faded back to blue. Suddenly, his eyes and face filled with the same Naruto smile, a knowing smile. "It figures. You're all so strong! But do you have to arrest Sasuke?"

"Yes, we are all ANBU captains, in fact. And as an answer to your other question, yes, we have to arrest the Uchiha," Neji answered coolly. "At least until the new directors of the interrogation department have a chance to assess him. The final decision, though, is up to the Godaime Hokage. She will be meeting with both you and Sasuke once we get him situated at the ANBU headquarters."

"Morino Ibiki is going to interrogate me?" Sasuke finally asked with a chilly note to his voice. Clearly, judging by his tense shoulders and edgy voice, he did not like the idea. Sakura allowed a smirk to splay behind her mask. So the great Uchiha Sasuke could fear someone? Funny.

"No. Morino Ibiki retired after the war. He went to live with his brother in Tea Country," Neji responded. "There are two new lead interrogators that will be speaking with you."

Sasuke scoffed, visibly relaxing from the news, which made Sakura snort out loud. The Uchiha had no idea what he was in for if he thought that no one besides Ibiki-sensei could make him talk. Her slight laugh, however, was enough to draw attention from both Naruto and Sasuke to her.

"Who're you?" Sasuke asked coldly, onyx eyes training on Sakura. A few years back, his intense stare would have unnerved her. Now, though, it just annoyed and possibly amused her a bit. He no longer held a power over her, and it made her feel good. She didn't address him; instead she gave a nod to her ANBU team, namely Sai, and turned her back to him, intending on walking away.

Sai took off his mask and approached Naruto. "Dickless," he greeted, a fake smile plastered on his face. "You have to come with me. Tsunade-sama will want to speak with you."

"Hey, Asshole! How've you been?!" Naruto greeted cordially.

"I have been well," Sai replied evenly. "I have been studying the books on emotions, and with Ugly's help, I have also begun a hormonal therapy that should get me closer to…normal."

"Oh, yeah, Sakura-chan! I have to go find her. She'll be so excited to find out that Sasuke's back," Naruto yelled jubilantly.

Sai looked at the three captains with a slight hint of confusion – especially towards the back of his stiff ANBU captain. "I doubt that," he replied. "Sakura holds many feelings of contempt towards-"

"That's enough," Neji interrupted, to Sakura's eternal gratitude. That would have been a particularly _bad_ conversation to have in the middle of the street, especially since Sakura had no intentions of revealing herself just yet. "Sai, you will escort Naruto to the Hokage Tower. The Godaime is there waiting. We will take Uchiha to the ANBU headquarters."

"Is that the order from my Taichou?" Sai asked, sending a look to Sakura for the direct order. Sakura nodded, and Sai gave a fake smile in response and led Naruto away.

Sakura, Neji, and Shikamaru led the group through Konoha, and towards the ANBU headquarters where Sasuke would be held. The hot, summer air made Sakura swelter underneath her ANBU cloak. The rest of the ANBU, it seemed, felt the same way. Since their captains had removed their hoods, masks, and cloaks, they did as well. The only one left covered was Sakura, who didn't mind. Right now, she just didn't want to face Sasuke. She couldn't do it alone. _Perhaps I'll go visit him_. She thought warily to herself. _He always knows what to do._

Sasuke did not like to be ignored, and this particular ANBU was ignoring him. So he asked again, "ANBU-san, I believe I asked your name."

"As insolent as ever, Sasuke," an amused voice said from behind directly behind him. Sasuke turned his head to be greeted by silver hair, a black mask, an eye creased into a smile, and a pornographic novel.

"Kakashi," Sasuke greeted.

"You shouldn't go around barking orders at the top ANBU captain in Konoha, Sasuke," Kakashi continued, stepping in line with Sasuke as the group continued to walk. Sasuke took note that the three ANBU captains ahead of them didn't even turn when Kakashi had arrived. Apparently, they were not bothered or perturbed by his presence. He trained his gaze on the short figure to the left, the only one who hadn't taken off their mask, and tried to place the person. However, that was nearly impossible due to the cloak and hood. All identifying features were hidden in a sea of black. "Perhaps asking politely would earn you a more warm and friendly response."

To this, the masked ANBU captain snorted ahead. Neji turned and gave the duo a sidelong glance. Smirking, he said, "That is unlikely."

"Which?" Kakashi questioned playfully. "Sasuke asking nicely or receiving a response?"

"Both," the mystery ANBU member replied, speaking for the first time. The voice was muffled, but Sasuke could discern it was a female and slightly familiar – like the more mature voice of someone from his past. Female? Who did he know from Konoha that would be strong enough to be the top ANBU captain who was also a female? No one. At least, not anyone that was around his age. Judging by the familiarity between the female and her two counterparts, they were probably around the same age; plus, like he'd thought before, the voice sounded like the older version of someone he knew when he was younger. But who?

X

The sun rose early over the forests of Konoha, making the already unbearable summer heat all the more intense. Sakura didn't notice, though, as she sat on the dried, brown grass in front of the Memorial Stone. She could feel the sweat pool beneath her skin-tight black pants that were tucked into her metal ANBU shin guards. Her fitted, zip-up black hoodie lay next to her on the grass along with her arm guards and ANBU mask– leaving her clad in a black bra with a mesh tank top stretched over it. As the sun grew higher, Sakura grew more aware of the fact that she was late for Sasuke's interrogation. She found herself here, at the Memorial Stone, at least once a day, if not more, and she realized she was turning into Kakashi.

Speaking of whom…

"Sakura," he greeted lightly. Sakura didn't respond.

Usually, when they were here at the same times, speaking with their lost ones, they never spoke to each other. It was like a sacred, unspoken rule that they had. Kakashi respected her need for privacy, and she respected his. This was different, though. This time, she was the one who was late for something, and he was the one sent to retrieve her.

"Your interrogation with Sasuke was supposed to start a half hour ago," he mentioned from behind her. Once again, Sakura made no move to acknowledge his presence or leave the stone.

_His_ name was at the base of the stone, towards the back, carved with even kanji. _Hyuuga Kaede_. His body was destroyed to protect the secrets of the Byakugan, so all she had left was a few pictures, some of his old clothes, and his name on this stone. She ran her fingers over the script, memorizing every crevice, just as she had done every day for the past two and a half years.

X

_Three and a half years prior –_

"_Alright, Shino-san, you should be alright now!" Sakura announced chirpily as she rolled a bandage around a few gashes in the Aburame's arm. The battle outside was beginning to diminish, and they were winning. Currently, Sakura was in the medical tent helping to patch patients up. Normally she would be in the field, fighting alongside her friends and comrades, but the growing amount of surgeries being conducted required her to be here. _

"_Thank you, Sakura-san," he replied evenly, just as he always did. "The air here is hotter than in Fire Country. It will be nice to return home." He stood, bowed, and left the tent to return to battle. Sakura smiled to herself. Yes, Wind Country was quite a bit warmer, but she was used to it by now. In fact, she didn't mind the warmth so much as she did the sand. _

_Her musings were interrupted by a loud crash and a gust of hot wind, drawing her attention to the opening of the tent. "Please! Help! We were ambushed!" someone called. Sakura rushed forward to find a very ragged Sand-nin struggling to walk into the tent. Propped on his back was a Leaf shinobi who was bleeding profusely from his mouth, nose, ears, and several wounds on his body. _

_Sakura began barking out orders, "Get the Leaf-nin onto a gurney, __**now**__. Somebody see to…what's your name?"_

"_Taki," the ninja coughed. "Sato Taki."_

"_Somebody see to Sato-san!" Sakura hissed just as the Sand ninja laid the unknown Leaf-nin onto a gurney. If Sakura already hadn't seen it all, this would have disgusted her completely. Burning flesh festered along the man's stomach, and he seemed to have been impaled by burning swords – several of them – after taking numerous poisoned kunai to the chest. His face was littered with cuts and bruises, but they weren't as concerning as the large welt on the back of the head. Sakura surmised that he was most likely bludgeoned with a blunt object. No fist, except maybe hers, could cause a welt like that. _

_Sakura leaned over him, channeling her green healing-chakra into him, and prayed for his life silently. For the rest of the night, Sakura didn't leave the man's side as she worked on him. Some lesser doctor would have already given up on him. This much, she knew, because of his wounds. Truthfully, he should have been dead long before he even reached the medical tent. For some reason, though, she wouldn't give up even though she had lost hope for patients with lesser wounds then him. It was like this unspeakable force telling her that she couldn't let this one die. He wasn't done yet – he had more life to live. After seven hours of extensive surgery, she was done, and he would live. _

_Sighing from exhaustion, Sakura sank into a metal seat on the far end of the tent – more fondly known as 'her bed' the past few days. The battle had been long over, but the constant stream of injured ninja had not yet ended. Most of them were more minor cases, the extreme ones having been deferred back to the Suna hospital. _Perhaps just a few minutes of sleep. _Sakura thought to herself as she closed her eyes and slouched further into the chair. Her wishes were left unanswered, though, when a collective gasp and giggles were heard from the nurses at the front of the large tent. Sakura allowed one eyelid to slant open in order to see what the fuss was about. _

_The Kazekage, along with his two siblings, strode into the large medical tent holding a constant air of authority around them. _No big deal, just one of the world's most handsome, eligible bachelors_. Sakura thought to herself, allowing her eye to drop shut again. She was not one of Gaara's giggling fan girls, unlike every other female doctor, nurse, kunoichi, and civilian…the list goes on; which is perhaps why, when Sakura opened her wary eye again, Gaara was standing in front of her with an amused smirk on his face. _

"_Sakura," he greeted. _

"_Kazeka-"his 'eyebrows' raised. Sakura stopped herself, remembering his constant reprimand of her over the past few years, and changed her greeting accordingly. "Gaara."_

"_You look like hell," Kankuro commented. Sakura took a moment to note she was receiving several death glares, looks of amazement, and envious blushes from the females in the room. This, she decided, is why she didn't like girls. Most of these women were her age or older, but held the maturity levels of her twelve-year-old self._

"_Just finished a seven hour surgery and that was on top of the twelve hour shift I'd just completed."_

"_We are taking the patients back to Suna now. We do not predict another attack anytime soon, so you should return to your apartment there as well, and get some sleep," Gaara said. It wasn't really a suggestion – it was much more of a command, and Sakura knew that. _

_She grinned sheepishly at him. "You're right. I'll help transport the patients and then-"_

"_Go home and sleep. Now," Gaara interrupted – this time, it was an order. She wasn't stupid enough to disobey a direct order from the Kazekage, so she prepared herself to leave. He then turned away from her and began ordering the other nurses and doctors to prepare for the caravan back to Suna. Temari just gave Sakura a look which made Sakura smile and chuckle, earning them a glare from Gaara. As she left the tent, she set out for Suna – it was only a few miles back to the city. There were hordes of ninja walking back into the safety of the gates, and Sakura found a few Sand-nin to walk and talk with. _

_Overall, it wasn't such a bad day, she decided, as she entered her temporary apartment. Naruto was already asleep on the couch, and Kakashi was sitting in a lone chair in the living room, reading. Sakura had been given the option of living with other females, but she (for the most part) hated women – with the exception of Tsunade, Shizune, Ino, and Temari – and decided to bunk with her team. Kakashi and Sai shared a room, Naruto slept on the couch, and Sakura took the study/spare bedroom. She sunk into her futon happily, without so much as a shower or meal, and was asleep before she knew it._

_Slowly, she opened her eyes only six hours later. It was an infuriating internal alarm that always went off in her head at 7 o'clock in the morning, no matter how many hours she slept. After a quick shower, she pulled on her black shorts, tan skirt, and red tunic. She went straight for the hospital while munching on an apple, noting that Kakashi, Sai, and Naruto were already gone for the day. _

_Once inside, she made her rounds, checking on all the patients who were still admitted from the past few days. This lead her to the room of the man who'd she'd worked on the night before. His face was so peaceful under a mop floppy, soft brown hair that fell in wisps down to his ears. Sakura affectionately moved the wisps out of his face when she noticed the bandage on his forehead. Curious, she went to remove it, when someone clearing their throat behind her made her jump. _

"_Neji," Sakura yipped in greeting, turning around with a guilty expression plastered onto her face. _

"_Sakura," Neji replied, tilting his head in recognition._

"_What are you doing here?" Sakura asked with a chuckle, moving away from her still-unconscious patient. _

"_I've come to see my cousin," he replied evenly, motioning to the man on the bed. _

"_You know him? Nobody knew his name earlier!" Sakura replied, picking up the man's medical charts, ready to jot his name down. _

"_Yes," Neji replied. "One of the nurses took off his forehead protector and saw the seal on his head, so they knew he was a Hyuuga from the branch family. They contacted me earlier this morning to identify him. His name is Hyuuga Kaede. He was in the academy class ahead of me, which would make him two years older than you."_

"_I see," Sakura replied, putting the clipboard with his file attached back down. "I've never seen a Hyuuga male with such short hair," she commented. _

_Neji gave a deep chuckle. "Yes, well Kaede is a little different than most Hyuuga males. Have you gotten a chance to talk to him yet?"_

"_No, he's been unconscious since I began the surgery on him," Sakura replied. _

"_Ah, well…" Neji trailed off for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to tell her something important. "I must return to the Kazekage tower. They are talking about a preemptive strike on a Zetsu army to the south."_

"_Right," Sakura replied. "I'm going to stay here for a while, I think. I want to see what you mean when you said he's…different."_

_Another baritone chuckle sounded from Neji. "Oh, you will," he assured. He nodded again and left them alone. Sakura found a comfortable position on a chair in the room, and closed her eyes._

_She wasn't sure when she'd fallen asleep, but she woke up to the sound of a man coughing. Standing quickly, she rushed to her patient's side just in time to see glorious white eyes peak from behind heave eyelids. _

"_Hyuuga-san," Sakura said, "You are in the hospital. You gave us quite a scare, there."_

_The man blinked a few times, and Sakura couldn't help but think he looked just like Neji, but with shorter, and maybe a little bit redder, hair. As she moved his hair from his eyes, she decided the best word for it was auburn, but that wasn't important at the moment. The world seemed to come into view for the man as he continued to blink. His brow furrowed a bit as he stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what was going on. But then his white, bleary eyes landed on Sakura. _

_Perhaps one of the smuggest smirks Sakura had ever seen crossed her patient's face instantly. "I always get the hot nurses," he said in a rough, husky voice. Sakura's eyebrow twitched, but this wasn't the first time she had been hit on by a patient; however, this was the first Hyuuga. She grabbed a syringe that was filled with pain medication as well as a light sedative since he would certainly still be incredibly uncomfortable. Her back was turned to him when she heard, "That's a nice ass you have there."_

_Sakura whipped back around, stared at him in awe for a split second, and before he could move, jabbed the syringe into the man's forearm and emptying the contents. The Hyuuga yelped, and bit out, "You harpy."_

_Once again, a first – she had never been called a harpy before. That's when the Hyuuga's eyes flitted a few times and closed again as unconsciousness overcame him._

X

When he woke up again, he apologized profusely, blaming it on the medications, the concussion he'd sustained, the injuries, and anything else he could to make her believe that it wasn't just _him_. Sakura accepted the apology, of course, and helped to take care of him while he recovered. Soon, she realized that it was _him_ – the stupid, arrogant bastard. She supposed it sounded like some bad romance novel, the way that relationship started, but that was her relationship with Kaede. Although, when he died one year later, her great romance turned into a tragedy.

"You still miss him," Kakashi noted, bringing her out of her reverie. It wasn't a question, just a statement, so she didn't bother to reply. Instead, she stood up slowly, and pulled her tight black jacket on, setting her hood, mask, and arm and chest guards in place.

They walked silently from Training Ground Three towards the ANBU headquarters. Tsunade had decided to keep Sasuke in one of the basement chambers – the third level. Silently, they made their way through the doors and down the three flights of stairs. After a few twists and turns, they found themselves outside of Sasuke's room. Sakura took one reassuring breath before rapping on the door a few times, and pushed the handle down.

Sakura and Kakashi entered the room where Sasuke was sitting. The room was tiled, with plain, white walls. Sasuke sat in the middle of the room, arms bound to the metal chair, chakra seal on his head, and large scowl plastered over his face. Sakura's interrogation partner, and Co-Director of Interrogations, was already in the room.

Yamanaka Ino looked up at Sakura and Kakashi with a beaming smile. "Oh, good, you're here," she said chirpily, but Sakura could hear the edge in her voice. "Sasuke-_kun _(the title laced with so much sarcasm it was palpable)doesn't believe I'm one of the heads of the interrogation department."

"It's true, Sasuke," Kakashi intoned, moving further into the room and leaning against a wall with his orange book in hand. "Ino is one of the two people who lead the interrogations department. She and her partner were put in charge after Ibiki-san retired."

Sasuke's face didn't change when he asked, "Who is the other director, then?" Kakashi nodded towards Sakura, who had begun piling things from her backpack onto the lone table in the room. They were mostly syringes filled with different types of poisons, but she had some weapons as well. Mostly, though, when she interrogated, she was able to use her chakra scalpels so weapons weren't usually necessary. Ino sat in one of the two chairs that surrounded the table with a smug look on her face. Sasuke scoffed, "Two females in charge of interrogations?"

"Don't be sexist, Sasuke," Kakashi chided. "These two ladies have brought great men down to their knees with their methods. Ino interrogates using her mind-transfer jutsu, while her partner here is an expert in physical torture. They work well together."

"In fact, Sasuke-_kun_, that's why Kakashi is here. He's here to make sure my lovely partner here doesn't torture you too bad," Ino quipped playfully as she wrote some notes down on a scroll. She looked at Sakura with a glint in her eye, "After that one complaint – the one where you ruptured that man's spleen and then kept him alive so the toxins in his body killed him slowly while you extracted the information…" she trailed off, giggled evilly, and then switched topics, "Let's just say, Sasuke-kun, that she needs a babysitter so nothing too bad happens again. Although, it shouldn't come to that – my partner has requested we speak to you first to see if you'll answer the questions willingly. Then I will enter your mind using my mind-transfer jutsu to see if you're telling the truth. If you are, then we'll report our findings to the Hokage. If you aren't truthful, however, I will turn you over to my partner."

"Does your partner have a name?" Sasuke asked distantly. Apparently he was still curious as to her identity since he hadn't gotten his answers the night before. He had asked Kakashi, but he danced around the question. He had asked the ANBU guards, only to have one with red hair and brown eyes answer 'the sexiest woman alive,' much to Sasuke's chagrin.

"She does," Ino replied. "But that's none of your concern. Right now, you need to focus on being truthful to me."

Sasuke sighed, but that was as close to a 'go ahead' as they were going to get. "Very good," Ino began, but she was quickly cut off by a very large banging at the door.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

"How the hell did he get down here?" Ino yelled as she threw herself from her seat and marched to the door. Sakura froze for a fraction of a second, mind melting as she considered the possible ways he got past thirty or so ANBU that he would have encountered on his way here, but then stood upright to look at the door. Ino whipped it open, only to be barreled over by a frantic-looking Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei, I can't find her anywhere!" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi sighed. "Who, Naruto?"

"Sakura-chan. It's like she's gone missing! I went to her apartment and all of her stuff was _gone_. Then I went to Tsunade-baachan and asked where she was and if she was on a mission, but all she would tell me was that Sakura wasn't on a mission," Naruto explained in one frenzied breath. "So then I went to the Memorial Stone because Sai-asshole told me she spends a lot of time there since Kaede-"

_SLAM_.

Of all people, it was Kakashi that hit the table, hard, making the weapons and poisons Sakura had scattered jump. His only visible eye was serious and his body posture took an annoyed, tense stance. "Naruto, will you shut up? You're not even allowed down here," he ground out through gritted teeth. Although he had missed his boisterous student, the quiet he received during his absence was relaxing. "Sakura no longer lives in that apartment anymore. She moved about eighteen months ago to a bigger house. No, she's not on a mission, but she is very busy. Right now, she is mentally processing a lot of information due to your guys' return, and she needs time. Also _do not_ mention Kaede to her. It's been a while, yes, but she is still coping and your tactlessness will not help."

Sakura stared at Kakashi, stunned and grateful for his intervention. There were seven people Sakura had kept close to her throughout the last two years: Tsunade, Ino, Shikamaru, Neji, Sai, Kakashi, and Kiba. These were the people that had never abandoned her. Everyone else was kept behind a wall, at arm's length, and treated as such. Right now, she was blessing the fact that she had kept her former sensei close because he understood her loss better than anyone. He also understood her feelings towards Sasuke and Naruto, and he was going to respect her wish to stay anonymous, at least for the time being.

Naruto and Sasuke just stared at him in an awed, stunned silence. Naruto nodded, and in a quiet voice, muttered, "I understand. Just tell me…is she okay?"

If it had been sixteen-year-old Sakura, her heart would have melted at his caring, sad tone, and she would have enveloped him in a hug. However, she was different now. Jaded. She was a twenty-year-old ANBU captain who was sick of being abandoned and left behind by the two people who she admired most. So no, right now, she didn't feel guilty. Naruto and Sasuke deserved to be ignored for once. Sakura just stared at him through her ceramic mask. Kakashi sighed, "She's doing well. She'll come to you when she's ready, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, but he soon found himself being shoved out the door by Ino. "Really, you baka, this is the interrogation chambers in the ANBU headquarters. How'd you get down here?" she shoved him out of the door, and with a "Don't come back until you've passed your own damn ANBU exams," she slammed the door shut. "Tch, idiot."

Sakura let out an amused noise from the back of her throat, not betraying her identity, and Kakashi chuckled. "He's still…impulsive."

"Tch, annoying," Ino amended, plopping back down in her chair as she scooted it to face Sasuke more fully. "Now, I'm not going to ask you certain questions because I already know the answers to them. I'll focus on things that aren't so clear. I know why you abandoned the village, I know why you wanted to kill your brother (Sasuke stiffened and his eyes turned dark), I know why you killed Danzou after discovering the truth about the Uchiha massacre, and trust me when I say you were doing us a favor by offing the bastard (Sakura gave a light cough, telling Ino to stay on subject). So, let's start with a personal question…Why did you try to kill Haruno Sakura on two different occasions?"

Everybody in the room stiffened and stared at Ino. Sasuke looked particularly uncomfortable. "She was there to kill me," he answered gruffly. Sakura felt the strongest urge to pound his face in.

"Not good enough, Sasuke. You know that Sakura would never have the heart to kill you, so why did you try to kill her when you knew she would _never_ hurt you? Her attempted murders are two of the charges against you, Sasuke, so we have to know your motivations." Sasuke stayed silent. Ino waited a moment, nails tapping impatiently on the desk. "Not going to answer? Fine. Let's ask another. After the war, Konoha was ready to accept you back, all charges wiped out because you had killed Madara and helped Konoha win the war. Why didn't you come back then? Why did you wait over two years?"

Sasuke grumbled something incoherent. His deep, obsidian eyes were trained thoughtfully on the floor. "What was that, Uchiha?" Ino asked irritably.

"I can't talk to _you_ about this," he bit out through clenched teeth. White knuckled fists hung tightly onto the bottom of the chair, as if it anchored him to reality. Sakura watched him warily, wondering what he meant.

"Well you have to talk to someone," Ino replied a little softer than she had been before. "Why don't you talk to someone who you owe explanations to?"

"I've already talked to Naruto and Kakashi," Sasuke replied shortly, as if it would get him out of the interrogation.

"You need to speak with an interrogations specialist who can discern if you're lying or not," Ino explained, standing up slowly.

"Then who?" Sasuke asked coldly. He had raised his eyes warily to meet Ino's.

Kakashi seemed to understand Ino's meaning just before Sakura did, and he stood straight from his previous position with a labored sigh. "We should give them privacy," he muttered slowly to Ino, who nodded in response. Judging by his tense shoulders, he did not want to leave Sakura by herself.

Sakura tensed, staring at them. They couldn't be serious? _Click_. They left the room as the door closed behind their retreating backs. Apparently, they could be serious, Sakura thought bitterly. It was just her and Sasuke now. _Traitors_. She thought to herself as she moved languidly from where she had been standing to the chair where Ino had previously sat.

"Are you going to torture me now, ANBU-san?" Sasuke asked dryly.

"No, Sasuke," Sakura replied warily, steeling herself for what she was about to do. Slowly, she clamped her hands around the back of her head, allowing her hood to fall off, which, in turn, revealed her pink hair. Sasuke's eyes widened, only a fraction of an inch and only for the briefest of moments, in shock and recognition. As Sakura unclipped the mask from the back of her head and pulled it off her face, she murmured quietly, "Hello, Sasuke."

X

Kakashi sighed. "Do you think it's a good idea to leave them alone in there? Do you think she can handle it? I know she wanted to stay away from them for a little while longer in order to collect herself…" he said to the blonde standing next to him. The duo had just walked up the three flights of stairs into the ANBU headquarters library. It was called a library, but it was more of a mess hall than anything else. Hoards of socializing black-ops members sat around on couches, desks, and tables, talking and writing reports. Their moods were much too cheery for trained hunters, interrogators, and assassins.

Ino stuck a few coins into a vending machine and a bag of chips dropped into the bottom. Chouji's favorite brand, she remembered. When she missed Asuma, she'd ask Shikamaru to smoke a cigarette for her – it was the only time he smoked. When she missed Chouji, she would buy some chips and munch on them. How things had changed over the years. So many of her friends were dead and gone because of the war. Those who weren't physically dead, like Asuma and Chouji, were emotionally and mentally checked out... Like Sakura.

"She'll be fine, I think," Ino replied. "Maybe this will be what she needs to finally heal."

Kakashi 'hm'd in thought. "I wonder what Kiba will think with Sasuke's return. Do you think he will be jealous?"

Ino was thoughtful as they walked to a couch and took a seat. She opened the chips and took the first bite, savoring the taste while thinking of her departed teammate. "I'm not sure," Ino replied warily. "I think he already feels like he's sharing her with a dead man. Now her first love is back, seemingly for good."

"I agree. Kaede is one thing – he's dead and not coming back, so he's not a real threat to Kiba. We'll see if Kiba gets possessive over Sakura due to Sasuke's return. Although, he has been quite understanding so far, and he is the one who really helped her heal after Kaede died. She misses him, yes, but she's happier with Inuzuka around."

Ino nodded her head in agreement. "Sometimes…I think I'm luckier than Sakura. She lost her teammates…but now she has to deal with them coming back – it's like when Asuma was resurrected from the dead. It brings back all of those memories and feelings that she had. Asuma is dead forever now, but I have his son to watch over, and he's getting so big! He'll be entering the academy soon, and I'm already planning on being his jounin sensei when he graduates in a few years. And although I lost Chouji, he died so valiantly, like a real, honorable shinobi. His face…it was like he was at peace with everything right before…" she broke off to cough down a sob. "I got to mourn their deaths, and it still hurts, but it's over. I have peace. I have Asuma's son to remind me of him, and my memories with Chouji were all good. For Sakura, though, this is a festering wound that heals over into a scab, only to have it ripped off again… Speaking of which, how are you doing?"

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "Me?"

"You're going through this too," Ino remarked.

Kakashi emitted a low chuckle. "I'm alright, I suppose. I expected this to happen, and honestly, I'm happy Sasuke and Naruto are back. Everything feels more complete with the dynamic duo within city limits. I guess I'm just worried about her."

"Me too…"

"Hey you two!" somebody called from across the room. Two matching, jovial faces were coming towards them. Seventeen-year-old twins and child prodigies, Honda Koichi and Honda Koji, were the two youngest current members of ANBU, and made up half of Sakura's ANBU team.

"Koichi-kun, Koji-kun!" Ino waved, greeting the two. "How're my two favorite red-heads?"

The two bound up to Ino, who according to them, was the second hottest kunoichi in all of Konoha – right behind their Taichou, of course. "We're good," Koji, the younger and more playful of the two answered. His dark brown eyes constantly shone with mischief, not that you would see them behind his mop of red hair that constantly fell into his eyes.

"Have you seen Sakura-senpai?" Koichi asked. He was slightly more subdued, but not by much. Sakura always thought he was the brains behind the insane pranks to two would play on her and Ino knew that theory to be correct – not that she would ever tell Sakura that. His honey-colored eyes – the only feature that was markedly different between him and his brother – sparkled all the time, even in the harsh light of the library. His bright vermillion hair was cut short, thus revealing his eyes to everyone. They were mesmerizing.

"She's in the middle of interrogating Sasuke," Kakashi replied.

"Tch, that bastard better not make a move on my woman," Koji said with a scoff, crossing his arms in front of him. "He kept asking me who she was last night. Bastard idiot."

"Don't you think you two are a little young for Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

"No! Sakura-senpai is beautiful, funny, talented, and perfect in every way. She would know that age doesn't matter," Koichi replied, mimicking his brother's posture. "It's just a number."

"Well if that's the case, then perhaps it's time I make my move…" Kakashi's voice trailed off at the insinuation.

"You perverts!" Ino yelled, hitting all three men in the back of the heads in one move, if it were possible. "All three of you know that Sakura is happily in a relationship with Inuzuka Kiba and has been for six months. Why do you three still insist on acting like you have a chance?"

Kakashi blanked out the remainder of the conversation. Instead, he thought of his team, and how nice it would have been if Sasuke had never left. Running a hand through his silver hair, he began to think about what Sasuke had told him last night, or rather, very early this morning. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too prideful to tell Sakura as well.

X

"Sakura." His tone was a little brittle and his knuckles turned whiter, if it were possible, from the strain he was using to anchor himself to the chair. Sakura reckoned that the chair would have been broken by now if Sasuke had access to his chakra. "You…"

"ANBU Captain Haruno Sakura of Squad 4 – currently the top-ranking squad Konoha has to offer," Sakura stated, "Co-Director of Interrogations, Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the Konoha Hospital – I'm only outranked by Shizune and the Hokage herself, Lead Field Medical Shinobi. I have access to every room, building, and secret hideout in the village. Once again, the other others are Shizune and the Hokage. I know every secret this place has to offer. I have four awards for Valor Extraordinaire that I obtained during the Fourth Shinobi World War, and the scars to back them up. My name and profile is in the bingo book of every one of our enemies. And you are…The Last Uchiha, defector and missing-nin."

Sasuke stayed silent.

"Why did you come back?"

"…"

"Uchiha, answer me."

"…You're different."

Sakura stiffened. "Yes, yes I am."

"Why?" His voice was quiet and he wasn't meeting her eye.

"You answer a question, and then I'll answer a question. I'll give you that if it means finishing this damned interview so I can go see my…" she trailed off. When she spoke again, her voice was softer, "Why did you come back?"

"The idiot chased me around for a year, and I got tired of fighting him off," was Sasuke's reply. Ah, there was the Sasuke she knew and resented.

"When did he find you initially?" Sakura asked, writing some notes down on the scroll next to her.

"It's my turn," Sasuke said a little smugly. "Why are you so different? What happened to you?"

"Time changes people," she replied bitterly. "_Death _changes people. Then again, you know that, don't you? Did you expect that you'd leave to get power and avenge the death of your family, and nothing would change in your absence? Did you think that you'd come back and Naruto and I would bicker, and Kakashi would read porn, and I'd fawn over you, so grateful that you deigned to come back?"

"No," Sasuke bit out in reply, his eyes flashing red in annoyance. Then he sighed, deeply, and his features relaxed a bit. "I came back because I wanted to. You said that time changes people, and it does. I've changed…"

"Explain, please," Sakura replied curtly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She saw it then – the deep, uprooted pain in Sasuke's eyes. He was struggling. He was struggling like she was struggling. So, softer, she murmured, "Try to make me understand. As angry as I am, I don't want you to die because you wouldn't explain yourself. What you tell me…it stays between us. The only thing that matters is my opinion as to whether or not you are a threat. So please, Sasuke, just start from the beginning…"

Sasuke stared blankly at the girl in front of him. She looked so…broken. She was so absolutely broken. She had glued herself back together too many times, and now the cracks were there. He could see them – settled on her seemingly flawless ivory skin, over her deep emerald yes, in her heart. Scars – that's what they were. Not physical scars. Those were healed much too easily by her expert hands. Emotionally, mentally, Haruno Sakura was irreparably scarred.

Resolutely, Sasuke looked down, preparing himself for what was ahead. Naruto understood him after he had explained himself to that idiot the year before. He had talked with Kakashi the night before, and although he was a little more wary, he seemed to understand what Sasuke was saying. That was the good thing about Kakashi and Naruto – they understood.

And now, he decided, Sakura would too. Opening his mouth, he began to talk…

* * *

AN: So what did you guys think? My intention is not to make this an angsty fic, I promise. But they are recovering from a war, so there will be a little heartache. Lucky for you though – I'm a sucker for happy endings.

I hope you liked it. I will be updating my other stories sometime this week, and I'm planning on updating this with another chapter next week. Please review!


	2. The Reason

AN: Here's another chapter! I hope you like it. Sasuke is going to seem a little OOC in this chapter, mostly because he talks a lot. But I tried to stay accurate other than that. Please, I would love your feedback and thank you so much for reading. This fic was a little out of my comfort zone because it's a little bit more dark and morbid than what I'm used to writing.

Also, each chapter is named after a song that kind of…came to my mind while I was writing. So if you want to fully capture the mood of the piece, take a few minutes to listen to the songs. If there is a song that comes to your mind when you read this, then tell me about it! I love discovering new music, and I want to know how you guys feel when you read my stories. Thanks!

Thank you so much, and please review!

* * *

**In Order to Heal**

**Chapter 2: The Reason**

* * *

_"I'm not a perfect person_

_There's many things I wish I didn't do_

_But I continue learning_

_I never meant to do those things to you."_

_- The Reason by Hoobastank_

* * *

"There are a few reasons why I didn't come back right after the war," Sasuke began. His eyes still had yet to meet hers as they stared at his knees. "I guess I will start with the biggest reason. After Itachi died, the first time, I was in a very dark place. When I found out the truth about the massacre…everything was dark. It was like I was swimming in a black hole of hatred and pity and…emptiness. I felt like everything was blurry – I couldn't see. I mean physically, I could see, but mentally the only thing that was guiding me was this extreme hatred that fogged everything. Madara found me and we planned to destroy Konoha because it seemed like the logical thing to do at the time; at least, it was logical through this constant haze of hatred. I had to avenge my clan. I had to avenge Itachi's death. So I killed Danzou and planned to kill the other two council members."

Sakura sucked in a breath between gritted teeth. Never, not in a million years, did she think Sasuke would open up to her like this. Was it true that he had changed? It seemed like he had. He was still angry. She could see that. But he looked much more confused and broken than anything else. This entire mess had just _broken _them. All of them. Sasuke had taken a moment from explaining to collect himself. His hands were clenching and unclenching at his sides, and they were so white that Sakura doubted any blood was getting to them at all.

Sasuke sighed, and continued, "In that haze, it was like I had no control over myself. Hatred fueled every action. Anybody who was going to get in the way of avenging my clan, whether it was my plan to kill Itachi or the council members, was going to die. That's why when you showed up that day… I knew you were going to try to stop me. That's why I told you to kill Karin…I knew you couldn't. I knew you were there to stop me, and I hated you for it. I fully intended on killing you-"

"If you're-"

"JUST LISTEN, DAMN IT," he yelled suddenly which made Sakura jump in her seat. She had been fully prepared to say 'If you're trying to get in good with the Hokage, that's not the way to do it' but his abrupt interruption halted her onslaught. In reflection, she should never say such a thing in the first place. She was allowing her anger towards him to affect her actions, and that was unacceptable. Right now, she was not Haruno Sakura, former scorned kunoichi of Team Seven. She was ANBU captain and Co-Director of Interrogations Haruno Sakura, and she had a perfectly willing subject. So she had to let him talk, no matter what he said.

"I'm sorry. I won't interrupt again," she replied calmly, nervously running a hand through her short, choppy pink hair. "Please continue."

Sasuke took a deep breath, flicked his eyes up to meet hers, and then looked back down on his knees. "I'm not making excuses for myself, here. I know what I did was wrong. In my mind, you were trying to deceive me; therefore, you were hindering my plans for revenge. You had to die. But if Naruto and Kakashi hadn't shown up to stop me and I had killed you, I would have regretted it."

He stopped and looked up at her, fully meeting her eye for the first time in almost five years. Sakura felt her face go numb. "Regretted it?"

"After Itachi died…the second time…I began to realize some things. He massacred my entire family and spared me. For the rest of his life, he lived as a hunted defector in order to give me a good life. All he wanted was for me to care for this place like he did, and I failed him. I failed him miserably. That's when I knew what I had to do to really give his memory the respect it deserved. I had to protect Konoha – protect my precious people. I thought of my teammates, both sets of them, and how much you and Naruto reminded me of Suigetsu and Karin," he continued. Sakura felt an inexplicable happiness arise within her when he called her his teammate. Back then, all she felt like was a burden to him, but now he was acknowledging her as an equal instead of an object that he felt obligated to protect.

"I was alone, then, but the fog and haze of hatred was slowly starting to lift around me, and for the first time in years I could _see_ again. Suddenly, people weren't tools anymore. I didn't see a person and automatically think 'how could I use this person to my benefit?' So I found Karin and apologized and Taka went to war with Madara. You know the rest. Naruto and I killed him and sealed the ten-tails. The war ended. But there were still things I needed to do. Karin decided to go off on her own, saying she had made plans to find a permanent residence somewhere other than Sound. I tried to find Suigetsu and Juugo after the battle to apologize and ask them to by my teammates again. But I couldn't find them."

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly. Sasuke looked up and glared at her for interrupting, and Sakura couldn't help but think that was just so _him_. This entire conversation had been so odd to her because Sasuke was acting like a different person, but then he would do something like glare at her and Sakura could see that it was still him, "Sorry, sorry, but they're here!"

Sasuke blinked a few times, and responded in a croak, "Here?"

"Well, sort of. Karin and Suigetsu are working as spies for Konoha. Sort of like what Jiraiya used to do. And Juugo is my patient in the hospital. I'm _healing_ him, Sasuke. His outbursts aren't as bad anymore!" she replied excitedly, her mind now spinning with the medical advancements they had made in order to heal Juugo. Instantly, she wanted to rattle on about hormone therapy and his odd nervous system, but she doubted Sasuke would comprehend everything if she tried. Plus, he looked very befuddled for the moment.

"Spies…Juugo, here?" he repeated, taking in everything she was saying slowly.

"Yeah Suigetsu wanted freedom to hunt the legendary swordsmen, and Karin wanted a place to call home, but she was too used to traveling to settle for long. They report back here by letter weekly and come home every other month or so," Sakura explained as she settled back down. Once again, she chastised, she was letting her emotions get the best of her. "Anyway, back to what you were telling me. I understand everything leading up to your fight with Madara, but why didn't you come back right after the war? Naruto left right after to find you, but you knew that Konoha was willing to overlook some things because you killed Orochimaru, twice, and Madara…"

Sasuke sighed and looked much more relaxed than he had when the conversation had begun. He was meeting Sakura's eyes now, and she could tell that a large weight had lifted off of his shoulders. She knew…because she felt the same burden lift off of hers.

"From what I understand, Naruto found me just as I had given up looking for Suigetsu and Juugo. Like I said before, there were things left over in Sound I had to deal with. So Naruto decided to help me. He didn't want me to return here with any regrets because he wanted my return here to be permanent. Plus…I think he was dealing with some of his own demons." Sakura snorted abruptly at the unintentional pun. Sasuke looked up at her but then allowed his lips to tug into a reluctant smirk. The irony – 'dealing with his own demons' – it was funny. "Anyway, there were terrible things happening in Sound that I caused, took part in, or turned my back to. I needed to go back to make that right. Kabuto and Orochimaru were dead, and there was still no set leader in the country, so it was complete anarchy. Things were worse when I went back."

"So you eradicated all of Orochimaru's old bases and experiments as well as any Sound ninja you found there," Sakura supplied evenly. Sasuke turned to look at her. His face was even and impassive, but his deep obsidian eyes betrayed his surprise. Elaborating, Sakura continued, "I was on the clean-up crew. We were sent to investigate the mass-murders that were occurring there and collect data on the experiments that the scientists were conducting."

Sakura's face twisted at the memories. The memories were vile, ruthless, and caused many nightmares for her and her teammates. Sasuke nodded evenly. "Yes. It was worse than when I was there. It seems, if it were possible, Orochimaru and Kabuto were the ones keeping those sick fucks in line."

"You will not be held accountable for those murders, at least not in Konoha. Sound is still our enemy. Additionally, we were originally planning on doing the very same thing when you began destroying the bases, so we let you have at it," Sakura replied. "I didn't tell you that, by the way… It's secret."

"Nothing good came out of me going back there and killing everyone, though. Those experiments still suffered, and the only thing I could do to help was end their lives. But it felt right. When I killed Itachi, it felt so wrong. But helping Konoha, killing Madara, infiltrating and eliminating the Sound bases…it all felt right. So did coming here. Coming back felt right," Sasuke finished.

Sakura nodded slowly, but to Sasuke's surprise, a large smile spread across her face. "Do you really believe that nothing good came out of you going to those Sound bases?"

"It was just more killing, Sakura. It was just more senseless-"

Sakura stood in the middle of his sentence, looked at her watch, smiled again, and then commanded resolutely, "Come with me."

"What?"

"Come with me. There's somebody I want you to meet," she replied. Gliding over to him in a few steps, she instantly released him from the chains that were around his wrists and ankles. Then, she was heading for the door.

"I'm a prisoner," he replied with the slightest tone of shock and incredulity to his voice

"You're in the custody of one of the highest ranking officials in Konoha," Sakura replied evenly, turning back to glance at him from the corner of your eye. "Technically, you have to do what I say. So come with me."

Sasuke didn't argue this time – he just grumbled something insulting incoherently under his breath. He stood and walked a few paces behind Sakura. After turning down several halls, they arrived at a large staircase. They climbed five flights of stairs to where the offices were located, and Sakura led him to an office at the end of the hallway. The plaque on the door read:

**Yamanaka Ino**

**Haruno Sakura**

**Directors of Interrogation**

Underneath the black plaque, another smaller and less formal sign read, 'If you'd like to contact Haruno Sakura, leave a message at her office at the hospital. It will reach her much faster. Thank you.'

"I use this as my secondary office," Sakura illuminated as she entered the door and walked in. Sasuke followed cautiously. It was smaller than most executive offices, mostly because it was meant for one, but there were two desks shoved into the room along with several book shelves and filing cabinets. "I would use this one more, but once I walked in on Ino and Shikamaru…well…" She trailed off, but Sasuke got the point. Opening a large drawer, Sakura pulled out what seemed to be a large bundle of clothing. Sasuke arched an eyebrow, silently asking why she was changing. "It's _really _hot out, and skin-tight black ANBU wear is not conducive for summer, at all."

Sasuke grunted noncommittally as Sakura opened the door to what looked like a small closet. A few moments later, she emerged in slightly-too short black shorts and a form-fitting white t-shirt that allowed her black bra to show through. Her ninja belt had been tied back around her waist lazily and she was rolling bandages on her leg to attach her kunai pouch when she came out of the closet. Sasuke took a moment to drink in her perfectly toned legs, flat stomach, and a bust that was larger than he'd remembered it being. Sakura seemed oblivious to his unashamed, lingering appraisal when she announced she was ready.

They walked back down a flight of stairs to appear in a common area for ANBU members. When Sakura entered the room with Sasuke in tow, all of the chatter died down instantly. Thirty pairs of uncertain eyes made their way to Sasuke, then to Sakura, and then back. Confidently, Sakura strode past them. Ino and Kakashi, along with two of her teammates, were sitting on a couch on the far end of the library. Kakashi rose, but Sakura held up her hand slightly, telling him it was alright. She could see the worry and distrust in his eyes, but he sat back down tentatively.

Sakura was right. It was _very_ hot outside. The mid-afternoon heat radiated down on Konoha in a blazing fury. Luckily, the walk to the academy wasn't far from ANBU headquarters. However, that did not stop the outright gawking of the villagers at the last Uchiha. Since he had been detained in the middle of the night, nobody was aware that he had returned. _Well_ Sakura thought, _they know now_.

Half way to their destination, Sasuke asked, "Where are we going? And who do you want me to meet?"

"You'll understand when we get there," Sakura replied. They were walking at a brisk pace, side by side now. Her jade eyes were trained forward and would not meet Sasuke's. Internally, she was a bit shaken at the upcoming reunion. Would he remember Sasuke? How would he react? Was she doing the right thing? Sometimes, these decisions were just too difficult to make on her own. That's when she really wanted Kaede with her because he would know what to do.

They arrived at the academy a short while later. Once again, Sasuke could feel the stares of the parents, civilians and ninja alike, boring into him, but nobody said anything. At least, not until one of the old jounin sensei saw him. Well, the woman saw Sakura first.

"Sakura how're-. Oh," the woman stopped, large red eyes staring at Sasuke curiously. "So, you're back."

"Hn."

"Kurenai-sensei, you remember Uchiha Sasuke," Sakura replied warily.

"Yes, of course," Kurenai replied. "It's nice to see you back," she said with a bit more confidence. "I see your busy, today, Sakura. Would you like me to look after Masaaki while you finish your work?"

Sakura's eyes brightened. "Would you mind? I was so worried about what I would do with him tonight. Believe it or not, but I'm in the middle of an interrogation right now."

Kurenai gave Sakura an amused look, but then replaced it with a reassuring smile. "Sure. He gets along so well with my boy. He's the only one in class as young as him, you know? Just drop him off at my house when you are finished speaking with him. My son's fifth birthday is coming up. You and Masaaki will be there?"

"Masaaki will be for sure!" Sakura replied. "I will be as long as I'm able."

Kurenai gave her another nod and then walked to the other end of the courtyard to speak with some other parents. Said parents were still sending wary looks in the direction of Sakura and Sasuke.

"Masaaki?" Sasuke asked.

"Masaaki is my son."

X

"Do you think we should go down there?" The deep, masculine voice was only a bit above a whisper. There was a shop across the street from the academy that had a perfect roof for spying on people. It was flat, but there was a stone ledge that was large enough for a shinobi to hide behind.

"That would be-"his colleague began from somewhere behind him, undoubtedly lying down in the hot summer heat to observe the sky.

"Troublesome?" the first interrupted.

"Yes. Why don't you just read their lips?" Shikamaru asked as he lit a cigarette, took a drag, and then let it hang lazily from the side of his mouth.

"I am. From what I can tell, Sakura just told him who Masaaki was."

"Tch, what a drag. You worry about her too much, Hyuuga."

"Speaking of drag, didn't you promise Sakura and Ino you would try to quit smoking?" Neji asked curtly. "I believe you told them you would only do it when Ino asked you to remember Asuma-sensei by."

"…"

"I thought so," Neji replied. "And it was your idea to check on her when we saw her leaving with the Uchiha."

"Don't tell her about this. It would be troublesome."

"She would undoubtedly call us both big softies and pinch our cheeks like she did that one time."

"Three."

"Hm?"

"She's done that to us three times. You were just too drunk during two of them."

"We need to stop spending time with her. She's a bad influence on us."

Shikamaru chuckled lazily. Neji smirked.

X

"Son?" Sasuke sputtered in disbelief.

"OKAA-SANNNNNNN!" Sasuke turned to find a small boy, no older than five (_Five? How the hell does Sakura have a five-year old?_), bounding towards them with a book bag in his hand. His dark, forest-green eyes were bright with life and excitement. His spikey black hair was long and fell over his eyes, much like Kakashi, and was only held back by a bright red bandana that was tied diagonally around his forehead – further constructing a resemblance to Kakashi.

Sakura smiled, ignoring Sasuke now, and opened her arms to the boy. "Masa-chan, how are you?" she cooed as the boy jumped into her arms. "How was school?"

"It was good. We learned all about the third shinobi world war, but I already knew a lot of stuff. And then we learned how to throw kunai, but I already know how to throw kunai 'cause Kakashi-ojiisan (_Ojii-san? _Sasuke thought. _Why the hell is this kid calling Kakashi grandfather?_) taught me how. So Iruka-sensei let me practice shuriken. That's what the third years are doing!" the boy exclaimed in one breath. It was then that he noticed a very confused Sasuke standing about arm's length from his mother. "Who're you?"

"Masaaki, this is Uchiha Sasuke. Do you remember what I told you about him?" Sakura asked. Slowly, she turned so she was facing Sasuke. The young boy's dark green eyes lit up in recognition, and a sense of familiarity filled Sasuke. Had he seen this boy before?

"You're the one who saved my life!" Masaaki shrieked eagerly, pointing a finger unabashedly at Sasuke.

Sasuke raised a stunned brow at the boy, still processing the fact that Sakura had a five-year-old son. Even though he had never met the boy, he was claiming that Sasuke saved his life. Things had changed more than he realized, it seemed. His confused gaze turned to Sakura, who seemed to be fighting to hide her amusement at the situation.

"Masaaki, would you like to go to the hospital with us for a little bit? Then you'll be going to Kurenai-san's house for dinner," Sakura asked gently. Masaaki nodded his head vigorously, apparently very enthused with the thought of visiting the hospital, and launched himself from Sakura's arms. He began to run down the street, weaving in and out of people as he ran.

Once the boy was out of ear shot, Sasuke turned to Sakura, "Son?"

Sakura smiled, her eyes trailing the figure of her son as he darted down the street. He only stopped every few feet to turn around, making sure Sakura and Sasuke were still following him, and then continued to press onwards towards the hospital. "We found him at the eastern Sound base a year and a half ago," Sakura began to explain.

Like flicking on a light switch, it clicked. "The base where they experimented on children," Sasuke recalled. "I…I remember a boy crying. I shoved him under a bed in his…cell…and told him to cover his eyes and his ears before I killed all the scientists. With everything that happened, I must have forgotten to go back for him."

Sakura nodded. "He was an experiment. It took nearly three months to flush whatever shit they had been injecting him with out of his system. When we heard about that base infiltration, we went right away. He was only alone for about two days, thank god. As we inspected the rubble, we found him sleeping under his bed. He told us that two men, one with bright red eyes and another with bright blue eyes, rescued him," Sakura continued. "So we brought him home, ran a million and one tests on him, and discovered what he was."

"What he was?" Sasuke echoed. The boy was standing at the doors to the hospital, calling Sakura and Sasuke slow-pokes form where he was.

"He was created from two sources of DNA, his parents if you will, and was carried and birthed in a test tube that replicated a woman's uterus," Sakura replied warily. "It seemed that they were building an army. The two shinobi who's DNA they took were incredibly powerful. It created the perfect storm for a ninja warrior. Masaaki himself is incredible. His comprehension of everything shinobi-related is…prodigious to say the least. He's not even five yet and he has near-perfect chakra control, incredible speed, and perfect aim with projectile weapons."

Sakura paused for a moment and caught Sasuke's eye. There was a level of uncertainty lying beyond her jade orbs that made Sasuke curious. She was cautious now, for her son. So many things were different from how they used to be, and it seemed that this boy was the catalyst. Even in the past few minutes, Sakura had become brighter and friendlier towards Sasuke. Her mood had instantly brightened the second she thought of her son – even in the ANBU interrogation room when she had announced they would be going to meet someone. This boy seemed to be everything to Sakura.

Sakura continued warily, "When I discovered who his parents were, I decided to keep him. I couldn't let an orphanage have him. I may be young, but I needed him just like he needed me, and he has a family here."

"Who're his parents?" Sasuke asked. However, they had just come up to the boy at the front of the hospital, who instantly began chattering nonstop to his mother about something inconsequential.

Sakura merely shook her head in Sasuke's direction, telling him that this wasn't the time or the place for such a conversation. Obviously, she didn't want the boy to know who his 'parents' were. If you could even really call them that, Sasuke thought. They were more of DNA donors than parents if you asked him. Parents were people who raised you, took care of you, _loved _you. And it was obvious by the way Sakura looked at this boy, that she was this boy's parent. Sasuke studied the woman closely. Her eyes were alight with pure, unadulterated joy, love, and compassion as the boy talked to her. Her attention was fully rapt on him as they made their way to the elevator, and she looked at her son as if he was the most important person on the earth. That's because, to Sakura, he _was_ the most important on the earth. That's why she was his parent.

Sakura nodded her head to whatever the boy was saying as she pressed the number four button on the elevator. Sasuke just observed her wordlessly. This was another part of Sakura he had never thought he'd see. He knew, from what Naruto had told him, that Sakura was over her infatuation with him. This had caused mixed feelings within Sasuke. While he was glad that the annoying fan-girl was gone, he didn't like that she had averted those feelings to another man.

Hyuuga Kaede. Yes, Naruto had told him all about the Hyuuga and his relationship with Sakura. Sasuke and Naruto had spent a lot of time traveling over the past two years, and Sasuke had heard about everything that had happened in his absence. Everything – down to the story in which Kakashi lost his favorite pair of socks and they had spent the entire morning looking for them, only to find out that the offending articles of clothing were in the man's sock drawer. So while he had learned about the most insignificant things, he had also heard, in detail, about the more important life-events. Sakura's relationship had been one of Naruto's biggest revelations to Sasuke.

So, Sasuke knew he would not have to deal with the obnoxious, twelve-year-old Sakura that he had once known. Of course, he had heard of most of her accomplishments as a medic, and he had even heard many shinobi call her 'Tsunade-number-two.' At the time, he had just smirked, thinking it was utter rubbish, and moved on. The thought that Sakura had surpassed her sannin master had been completely ignored, abandon, and forgotten. Then the battle between Team Seven and Madara had commenced. Sakura had proven herself then, not allowing him and Naruto to force her off the battlefield. Sasuke had been truly impressed by her grace, strength, and talent – especially when she had healed his wounds after using little-to-no chakra – due to her impeccable chakra control. Not that he would ever tell her that.

That was not the Sakura that had met him at the gates, though. Even that Sakura would have been glad to see him, as she had been a few years prior. If there was one thing he had been sure of upon his return, it would have been that Haruno Sakura would be happy to see him come back. Well, she had completely taken that idea and beat it into the ground with her bare fists. It was Naruto's fault, Sasuke decided. The dobe had spent the entire time chatting about how sweet, beautiful, forgiving, and loving Sakura-chan had become. That is, as long as you didn't piss her off. If you pissed her off, you would die. But, Naruto had stated, as long as you're nice to her, she'll be loyal and love you.

The Sakura who had jumped in front of him as he came into Konoha, with Neji and Shikamaru beside her, was cold, resentful, and angry. That was the Sakura he had seen during their talk in the interrogation room. At least, that was the Sakura at the beginning. Once she mentioned that she wanted to introduce Sasuke to someone, her entire persona changed once again.

Was this the real Sakura he was looking at? The gentle, caring woman in front of him was complementing her son on a jutsu he had learned as they strode down the hallway towards whatever room they were going to. What room were they going to? She hadn't said, and Sasuke had just blindly followed because he had been so deep in thought about the kunoichi and her son. His internal reverie was cut off by Sakura knocking on the door while she allowed Masaaki to run in first. It was the boy's wail of the patient's name that had caught Sasuke's attention.

"JUUGO-SAN!"

X

"Hey, Dickless," Sai greeted as he entered the Hokage's office. Tsunade was sitting behind her desk, jaw ticking in annoyance, with fingers laced in front of her face. Her closed eyelids were scrunched in irritation. Instantly, Sai knew that Naruto had said or done something to piss the Godaime off.

"Hey Asshole," Naruto replied, a large grin spreading lazily over his face. He was kicked back in his chair, feet resting on the edge of Tsunade's desk as if it were his own. Of course, if Naruto had his way, it would be his own. Then again, Sai wasn't so sure that the boisterous blond was quite ready for the title of hokage yet. He seemed to require more maturity in order to take on such an important role.

"Are you finished with your meeting, Tsunade-sama?" Sai questioned. "Kakashi requested that Naruto join him for our training session. He mentioned that you may be getting tired of him."

Tsunade sighed, seemingly in relief, and took a sip of the sake that was in her coffee mug. "Please, take him away. He keeps trying to figure out where Sakura is, and it's driving me insane."

"Sakura is with Sasuke," Sai replied matter-of-factly. "I saw them walking with Masaaki-chan towards the hospital. I believe she was going to check on Juugo-san."

Tsunade let out an exasperated sigh. "You weren't supposed to tell him that, you idiot!" she hollered. "Sasuke's interrogation is supposed to kept secret…wait…Masa-chan was with them?"

"Whose Masaaki?" Naruto questioned.

Sai quirked his head, turning it towards Naruto. "Masaaki-chan is Sakura's adopted son."

"WHAT?!"

"Will you shut up, you idiot?" Tsunade yelled. Her fingers were furiously rubbing her temples, trying to ease the headache that had been gathering there all day. Gesturing to Naruto, Tsunade addressed Sai, "Get him out of here."

Sai nodded and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Suddenly, Naruto felt a lurching sensation as Sai transported them to Training Ground Three. Kakashi was already there, a smile plastered on his face behind his mask as he teetered on the edge of the fence, orange book in front of his mouth. Behind him, there were two red-headed boys that were bickering over something. Naruto stumbled a bit. He hated being transported by other people.

"Naruto," Kakashi greeted.

"SAKURA-CHAN HAS A SON?!" Naruto yelled, still in disbelief.

This stopped the conversation abruptly between the two redhead shinobi in front of Naruto. They quickly ran up to the other three to join in the conversation. Their smiles were slightly mischievous and immature, much like Naruto's.

"I'm Honda Koichi," the man with the honey-colored eyes announced. He gestured to the boy who was obviously his twin brother. "This is Koji. We are members, along with Sai, of ANBU Squad 4. We've heard a lot about you, Uzumaki Naruto, from our Taichou especially."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Ne, my reputation precedes me. Who's your captain?"

Koji quirked a brow, "Why Haruno Sakura, of course."

"SAKURA-CHAN IS AN ANBU CAPTAIN?"

"Please stop yelling, Naruto," Kakashi replied. Clearly, he would have to explain everything so that no holes were left unfilled for the blond. Apparently Tsunade hadn't found it necessary to tell Naruto key events that had occurred in his absence, which left the job up to unwilling Kakashi. He slowly recited the tale of Masaaki and how he came to live with Sakura and see her as his mother. Then, he told Naruto about Sakura taking the ANBU exams with Neji and Shikamaru. He detailed her resolve to make captain with her two friends, which she did after only a short nine months on an ANBU squad with himself as captain (Sakura had begged him to reenlist when she took the exams. When she passed, he did in order to be her captain), Neji, and Shikamaru. The four quickly earned themselves a reputation as a top ANBU squad, and nine months later, the three younger shinobi had been promoted to captain and given her own squads.

Naruto nodded the entire time, not interjecting once. His heart was bursting with pride for Sakura – she had made it to the top. Additionally, she had done it before himself or Sasuke. During the war, Tsunade had promoted both he and Sasuke to the level of chunin for formalities sake even though they were both much stronger than that. Technically, Sakura could boss them around if she wanted. Naruto blanched – the last thing Sakura needed was a reason to boss them around.

"So, Sakura-chan is an ANBU captain and a mom? A lot has happened in two years," he replied.

"She's also the most gorgeous woman on the planet," Koji interjected. "I wish she wasn't so much older than us. Maybe we'd have a chance…"

"So, you're her team then?" Naruto asked, ignoring the boy's comment about Sakura, with the smallest hint of disappointment present in his voice. His biggest dream, besides becoming hokage, was to have Team Seven reunited. This would never happen while Sakura was in charge of an ANBU team. However, Naruto was happy for her. She deserved a good team – one that wouldn't abandon her like he and Sasuke had. It had taken two whole years for him to realize that he and Sasuke had hurt Sakura more than they had helped. His priority had always been to protect her and not let harm come her way, but (after several letters from Hinata detailing why Sakura-chan was so upset with them) he came to realize that he had hurt her most of all. Cringing, he turned his attention back to Sakura's new team. "What are your skills?" he finally asked.

"The Honda clan is well known for their elemental prowess. I am an expert in wind and fire jutsu, while Koji is a master of water and earth," Koichi explained passively.

Naruto nodded. "That sounds really cool," he replied. "I like the rasengan, myself."

Shrugging, Koichi replied, "I've never mastered the jutsu myself. It requires more chakra than I possess."

"What do you all say to a spar? Myself and Naruto versus Koichi and Koji. Sai, you're still injured from your last mission, and Sakura would kill me if I let you fight. So could you referee?" Kakashi proposed. Two years away from home would have only served to improve Naruto's skills, and Kakashi was curious to see how much more his student could grow.

Naruto grinned widely. "WE'RE GOING TO WIN KAKASHI-SENSEI, BELIEVE IT!"

X

Sakura entered the room before Sasuke, shielding him from the door, "I brought you a surprise visitor, Juugo-san."

Juugo chuckled from inside the room. "It's hardly a surprise when you bring Masa-chan, Sakura-sama."

Sakura sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Sakura?" she asked. "But Masa-chan isn't your surprise visitor for the day."

"Who is then?" Juugo asked curiously. It was then that Sakura turned back, smirked at Sasuke, and walked into the room. The door opened more so Sasuke could get a good view of Juugo, who was sitting on the hospital bed. Masaaki was sitting on Juugo's lap, and the boy had already began to talk quickly about the new jutsu he was just dying to learn. However, Sasuke's introduction to the room, coupled with the shocked look on Juugo's face, was enough to halt the boy's incessant speech. Juugo's mouth opened a bit in surprise. "Sasuke-sama," he greeted.

Sasuke inclined his head. He took in the room carefully, noting the seals around the room that would physically strengthen the walls without needed the actual materials – a very tricky jutsu that required precise seals. The room was very large for a hospital room, and featured a small kitchenette and a television. It seemed that the man had created a bit of an apartment for himself in the hospital – surely because he was living there. There weren't many places that were safe for Juugo to live. The seals on the walls would be more than sufficient to keep Juugo in one room, though.

"Juugo insists on living here," Sakura explained ruefully. "Although I think he would be just fine if he found a quiet, serene place of his own. He hasn't had an outburst in months."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You're curing him?"

Sakura shrugged, walking over to the man. "We're trying. Even if we can't cure him, we can make him markedly better than he was before. We figured out that something triggers his nervous system into overdrive which causes his testosterone levels to increase incredibly fast. It makes him violent," Sakura explained. It was really much more complicated than that, but explained it to anyone besides a practiced expert would be futile. "If I hadn't been examining him when the trigger went off, I would have never felt it."

"You were standing _next_ to him?" Sasuke asked, more like spat. That was dangerous. He was the only person who could calm Juugo down. She could have been killed, for Kami's sake!

Juugo looked down to the floor in shame. Sakura placed a reassuring hand on the man's back. "It wasn't his fault, and he didn't really hurt me, so there was no harm done," Sakura replied firmly.

"Wasn't that the time that Juugo-san put a hole in your stomach and almost ripped your arm off, Okaa-san?" Masaaki asked, almost casually, from his place in Juugo's lap. Sasuke just stared in annoyance at the complete nonchalance at the situation. Juugo had attacked Sakura, almost killed her, and she was letting him near her son? Was the woman insane?

Juugo just sighed.

"But I was fine after they stitched me back up, so no harm done!" Sakura announced, telling the other three that it was time to move to another topic. Turning to Sasuke, she changed the subject, "Juugo's never had an outburst in front of Masaaki. It seems as though he is able to keep him calm. In fact, Juugo is the one who named Masaaki."

"Yup!" Masaaki confirmed proudly, "Before I came to Konoha, I didn't have a name. I only had a number. Experiment number 2347. So when I met Juugo-san in the hospital, 'cause I had to stay at the hospital when I first came here, he named me Masaaki! And I liked it! I was only three and a half, back then. I was so little!"

"Why Masaaki?" Sasuke finally asked Juugo, speaking to him for the first time in years.

Juugo shrugged a bit. "It was his eyes. He had been through so much, but they still shined with a brightness that wouldn't be deterred. That's why I asked if we could call him Masaaki, for it means 'true brightness'."

_Kind of like Sakura_, Sasuke thought unconsciously, turning his attention to the woman who was sitting on a chair in the room, flipping through a magazine almost casually. He could tell she was paying close attention to the conversation. Juugo began to tell Sasuke about Suigetsu and Karin, who were due back from scouting any day now. Sasuke replied to his questioned shortly and indifferently, but Juugo seemed pleased to have him home. Masaaki also asked questions and interrupted with his own comments about things – like how he had accidently broken Karin's glasses once, but she wasn't mad at him, so he was lucky because Karin was scary when she got mad. Sasuke had actually snorted in amusement when the boy had delivered that line. _If he thinks Karin is bad, I wonder if he's ever seen Sakura really mad. Probably not, she doesn't seem like the type to lose her temper in front of him_. In fact, Sakura had been quite pleasant to Sasuke while in Masaaki's presence. Maybe she didn't want her son to draw negative conclusions about him from her skewed perspective. In the past few years, Sakura had learned how to be fair, if nothing else.

After the conversation had died down, Sakura announced it was time to go. Juugo was only allowed so-many visitors at a particular time, and they were apparently breaking rules by being in the room at the same time.

"Okaa-san, can we visit Kakashi-ojiisan? He said he would teach me chidori!" Masaaki exclaimed excitedly as they exited the hospital. Sasuke almost stopped dead in his tracks. He had remembered Sakura mentioning that the child was a prodigy, but could the maybe-five-year-old really be advanced enough to learn the chidori? Sasuke had barely been able to learn the technique when he was three times the boy's age.

Sakura's eyebrow ticked in annoyance. "Oh, did he now?" she asked with mock-sweetness dripping like tendrils from her voice. Why would Kakashi even promise such a thing? He knew her feelings towards deadly techniques like that when it concerned her son. The last thing she wanted was for her four-year-old (almost five, she reminded herself) to learn how to kill people. A sweet, yet deadly, smile crossed her lips. "Sure, Masa-chan, we can go see Kakashi-ojiisan. He and I should have a chat about what's appropriate for a four-year-old to learn."

"Okaa-sannnnn," Masaaki whined. "I'll be five in two weeks!"

"I know, but you're still too young," Sakura replied resolutely. "The chidori is a powerful, deadly technique." Sakura turned idly to Sasuke. Pointing to her son, she commented, "Kakashi is his idol…in case you didn't realize it from the haircut or the bandana hiding his eye and flipping his hair."

"That's because Kakashi-ojiisan is the best. He teaches me new stuff all the time! I want to learn a new technique. Oh, maybe a fire technique!" Masaaki exclaimed. "You always said I was a fire-type, Okaa-san, and I've never learned one before. Koji-san was always too busy with missions and his clan to teach me."

Sakura nodded her head, "You are a fire type, Masaaki. Maybe, if you ask really nicely, Sasuke will teach you a fire technique. It is the Uchiha clan's specialty, and he'll have nothing but time for the next few months."

Masaaki's eyes went round as orbs. He ran around his mother and turned around, walking backwards so he could face Sasuke. "Sasuke-san?" he asked. The Uchiha had been mostly silent up until this point. "Would you, pretty please, teach me a fire technique?"

Sasuke instantly knew he would have to. If he ever wanted Sakura to forgive him – why he cared, he didn't know (for Naruto's sake, he told himself) – then he would have to play nice with the boy. Plus, there was something oddly familiar about him. He reminded Sasuke of a younger version of himself, begging Itachi to practice shuriken with him. Therefore, he knew he would have to teach the boy a fire technique because he couldn't disappoint Masaaki the way Itachi always had disappointed him. There was something deep within Sasuke telling him he would hate to ever disappoint this child. It would also be satisfying to pass on his family's techniques to someone. While resurrecting his clan was still one of his life's goals, he wanted someone worthy to master the Uchiha clan's practices, and the boy seemed more than able. So, with that, Sasuke answered, "Sure."

If Sakura was surprised by his affirmative answer, she didn't show it. She began to head towards the training grounds. Kakashi had mentioned sparring and training with her squad today since Sakura couldn't. Instead, she led them to where she could sense her ANBU team, Kakashi, and…

"SAKURA-CHAN! I MISSED YOU!"

"Naruto…"

* * *

AN: There's another chapter. I hope Sasuke didn't seem too OOC. He will turn back to his normal, brooding self soon. For now, he had to grow accustomed to how things have changed in Konoha. He also has to explain his actions, which required him to talk. Unfortunately, a talking Sasuke is automatically OOC.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I would love it if you would be so kind as to review? They make me a happy camper!


	3. The Taste of Ink

AN: Hello and happy summer vacation to my friends! I've been off of school for a while now – the lovely perk of college – but I know some of you just got out. Here is another chapter of In Order to Heal.

So there are some important things I need to mention.

I've decided to forgo the lemons for this story and change the rating to T (or PG-13/even though it's probably going to take on a PG-15ish vibe so be warned) for this story. There are quite a few reasons why I'm doing it, but the biggest one is time and space. There are certain things I wish to accomplish in a certain amount of chapters, and I can't do it with the lemons. I hope it doesn't change anybody's minds into whether or not they like this story.

**Also, this is super important**:

_**Not one person has guessed correctly who Masaaki's parents are**_ because everybody guessed it was Sasuke and Sakura. Well, my lovely readers, you were wrong. At the very **most**, you are one-half correct. So it is possible that either Sakura _or_ Sasuke make up Masaaki's parentage, but it is definitely not both. There is also the very good possibility that neither Sasuke nor Sakura are Masaaki's biological parents. So ha!

There may be a prize one-shot fic for the person who can guess who Masaaki's parents are correctly and give a good, valid reason as to why they think so. So… yeah keep that in mind while you mull over the great mystery. If I had to guess we'll be finding out in either chapter 5 or 6.

Without further ado, here is chapter 3 of In Order to Heal.

Please reaview!

* * *

**In Order to Heal**

**Chapter 3: The Taste of Ink**

* * *

_"So here I am it's in my hands  
And I'll savor every moment of this  
So here I am alive at last  
And I'll savor every moment of this_

_And won't you think I'm pretty_  
_When I'm standing top the bright lit city_  
_And I'll take your hand and pick you up_  
_And keep you there to so you can see_  
_As long as you're alive and care_  
_I promise I will take you there_  
_And we'll drink and dance the night away."_

_-The Taste of Ink by The Used_

* * *

Sakura felt Masaaki shy behind her leg, clutching onto her knee as an unknown blond-haired, boisterous youth bound towards the group. They had obviously been sparring, but that was over the instant Naruto had caught sight of Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke noticed the way Sakura visibly flinched when Naruto had called to her and he instantly stepped in front of her a little in order to draw the unwanted attention off of her. He was sure he saw Sakura give him a grateful look out of the corner of his eye when he glanced back at her. When Naruto got close, Sasuke bopped him on the head.

"Dobe," he muttered under his breath. Naruto was well aware of Sakura's reservations towards both of them, and he was still acting like a fool.

"Hey, teme, does this mean you're out?" Naruto asked joyfully as he rubbed the bump that was surly forming from his best friend's punch.

"Hardly," Sakura answered coolly. "And please refrain from using such language right now, Naruto."

Naruto grinned sheepishly at Sakura, and then he noticed the young boy hiding behind his mother's legs. "This must be Masaaki. I've heard a lot about you!" he greeted happily.

Sakura stepped to the side a little, nudging Masaaki out with her hand. "Masa-chan, this is Uzumaki Naruto."

Masaaki's eyes went wide when he recognized the name of the man before him. "You're the one with the kyuubi inside of you. They talked about you in the Sound base," he said evenly. Naruto's eyes went wide and were a little worried. The last thing he wanted was for Sakura's son to be afraid of him. He had nothing to fear, though, because Masaaki's forest green eyes were sparkling. "Is it true that you can make like a hundred shadow clones appear at once? That's so cool! I can only make two! And you can do the rasengan, right? Can each of your clones make a rasengan? Does that mean that there would be like…a hundred rasengans all at once?!"

Sakura had never seen such a surprised look on Naruto's face. She was sure it was because nobody had ever out-talked the shadow-clone-rasengan expert. However, Masaaki was doing just that. He had always been that talkative – since Sakura had adopted him a year and a half prior. She wasn't sure which side of his parentage he got that particular trait from. Perhaps it was some hidden gene that she wasn't aware of. Or perhaps it was the three and a half years he had spent in captivity with little socialization, but every one of Masaaki's words was said in a breathless jumble as if they were his last ones. Naruto simply beamed at the boy, smiled, and answered the questions when he could get a word in.

"Can you teach me how to do a rasengan?" Masaaki asked hopefully, deep green eyes boring into Naruto with so much hope pouring out of them that it was almost palpable. The kyuubi container looked like he was about to give an energetic, affirmative answer when Sakura decided it was time to step in. Why did her son want to learn the most dangerous jutsu known to man before he turned five?

"No," Sakura answered for him. It didn't bother her to be the bad guy in these situations because Masaaki had the tendency to be a little over zealous when it came to his studies as a shinobi. All she wished was for him to slow down a bit and enjoy being a child – a luxury his biological father was never afforded. One day, when she would tell him of his parentage, he would understand why she was hesitant to let him further explore the life of a ninja. For now, she would just have to decide what was best for him. She was his mother after all – it was her job.

Kakashi, Sai, Koji, and Koichi had joined them now. They were all huddled around Masaaki, chatting with their favorite ninja-in-training amiably. "But 'Kaa-sannnn," Masaaki whined, jumping up and down.

"No," she repeated resolutely. His eyes grew wider, sadder, and more desperate as he grabbed onto the hem of her shirt and yanked on it to get her attention. She rolled her eyes at his futile attempts, for such trickery no longer worked on her. It worked on just about everybody else, but not her. Perhaps a gentler approach would be better, "Masa-chan, not today. Why don't you ask Sai if he'll train with you a little? Remember how you got to play hide-and-seek with his ink mice? That helps with tracking and gathering information."

The distraction worked wonders – thank goodness for the mind of a (almost five) four-year-old. Masaaki's eyes widened and he sidled over to Sai who grabbed his ink and scroll to create the mice that would be required for this training exercise. He moved to go towards the forest – because you can't hide mice in an open field – and Masaaki followed.

"Koji, Koichi, go with Sai," Kakashi ordered in the quiet way that he did when he was being serious about something. The twins looked around confused, but one stern look from Kakashi was enough to send them bounding off towards the edge of the forest where Masaaki was sprinting into the depths to find the mice.

Sakura looked around and realized that Team Seven was standing together for the first time in six years; they hadn't been together since the day that Sasuke tried to kill Sakura and Naruto and Kakashi came to rescue her. During the war and their fight with the ten-tails, Kakashi had been absent. This was the first time all four of them reunited in such a long time. They stood in a contentious silence, nobody making eye contact with anybody else.

"We're going to sort this out," Kakashi stated firmly, taking on his no-nonsense voice. His arms gestured into the empty space between the four, indicating he meant all of them. It was the voice he used on missions when things were getting serious, leaving little room for argument or second thoughts. Sakura wouldn't shy away because she held too much respect for Kakashi. She knew he was doing this in large part for her. "Right now."

Tension grew thicker, more palpable. Sakura shuttered and her eyes lowered to the ground. This was not what she had in mind for their return. Truthfully, she had wanted to shun Naruto and Sasuke the moment they returned. She was still angry, but how could she fully alienate Sasuke now that he had explained so much to her? Even worse was the fact that she understood and accepted his reasons. It must have been incredibly hard for him to open himself up like that, raw and tender with emotions, to a girl he barely even cares about. She couldn't stay mad at him forever.

Naruto was a slightly different story. Just like Sasuke, Naruto had left her after she cried and begged for him to stay. Naruto decided that going after Sasuke was more important than staying with the friends that had never abandoned him. Sakura knew that she had done wrong by Naruto in a lot of ways. She had shunned him when he had loved her. But at the time of his departure, he had Hinata. He still has Hinata, even after being gone for two years, and he was happy with her. However, Sakura had done everything she could to make her wrongs right. She was his friend, a pillar of strength for him when he was at his lowest – when everybody else had turned their backs to him. He left anyway. He left while she cried and sat on the same bench that Sasuke had left her on years before. How do you forgive that?

Kakashi let out an exasperated sigh as he looked between his three former pupils, all of them silent and ashamed for one reason or another. "I'll start," he finally muttered. Oh how he wanted to pull out the Icha Icha that rested peacefully in his back pocket. But this needed to be done. Steeling himself for what would be an emotional confrontation, he began, "Naruto, right now, I don't forgive you for leaving. I want to hear your explanation for why you left six months after the war in search for Sasuke so I can understand. But as of now, I don't forgive you for doing that to us."

Another silence reigned over them before Naruto spoke in an uncharacteristically soft, pained voice, "Do…do you really feel that way Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi let out another weary sigh. "No," he finally admitted, "I never blamed you because I understood, but Sakura does. She blames you and she's hurt."

Sakura's eyes never left the ground even though she was thankful for Kakashi putting it all out like that. Naruto needed to hear that, but she wasn't ready to explain her feelings to them. "Sakura-chan," Naruto goaded quietly. "I'm sorry."

The tears that pricked her eyes were not of sadness, but of anger. "That doesn't cut it, Naruto," she finally hissed through clenched teeth as the tears streamed down her face. "I begged you to stay. Kaede hadn't even been gone six months, and I was still in mourning. I'm _still _mourning over him every single day. I needed my best friend because at the time, you were the only one who could make my darkest of days even a little more light."

The tears were now pouring from Naruto's cerulean eyes as his hands clenched and unclenched into fists at his side. "I-I-I thought t-that," he stammered, "I thought that if I brought back teme, we could be a family again. I wanted my family back."

Sakura huffed in exaggeration. "Were we ever really a family back then, Naruto?" she questioned, "What about that year made us a family? Because all I remember was watching you two steamroll ahead while I was left behind. All you did was protect me, and that was perhaps your biggest mistake. Maybe we would have realized that I had value had you three not been there to protect me all along. Because it wasn't until after you two were gone that I found strength and value in my life. Both times."

The words seemed to pierce straight through Naruto _and_ Sasuke. Kakashi just stood there, hands in his pockets, staring at the two men in front of him. He had heard this rant before; rather, he had been a victim of this rant before, and it stabbed him in the gut with guilt every time Sakura brought it up.

"You don't mean that," Sasuke said, speaking for the first time since this confrontation. Sakura whirled around to glare at him openly, but his eyes were downcast and he was staring at his feet. "What you said is true, but you still need them in your lives. Maybe not me, but you need Naruto."

Sakura sighed as the tears pricking the edge of her eyes flowed down to rest on her cheeks. Sometimes life was just too much to handle. Sakura was confrontational and volatile – she knew this. She didn't have to be reminded of this. But having Masaaki had taught her how to hold her tongue. It also taught her to admit when someone else was right and you were wrong.

"You're right," she admitted through trembling teeth. "I need you. All three of you," she added as an after-thought. "It's just going to take time."

"I think I know something that will help," Sasuke stated. He rolled his shoulders and smirked in preparation for what he was about to do. Sakura looked up at him with curious eyes, and when she made eye contact, he charged with a fist ready to land a hit.

X

_Three and a half years ago:_

_It had been two weeks since the day that Hyuuga Kaede had been carried into her operating tent, and Sakura was in charge of his physical therapy. No amount of healing could help the nerve damage in his leg, and the only thing that would fully heal such an injury was time and some therapy. However, he was just as stubborn as Neji in terms of hospitals and medicine. He also refused to cooperate for any doctor besides her, much to her chagrin._

_It had been two full weeks of his incessant flirting and passes at her, and to be honest, he was starting to wear her down. Perhaps it was because of the war, or perhaps it was because of her traitorous hormones, but she found Kaede to be quite appealing. Besides his devilish good looks, he was funny and happy-go-lucky despite the war. Sakura gulped when she realized he was this compromise between Sasuke and Naruto in terms of personality, but painfully good looking like his younger cousin, Neji. So perhaps, not that she would ever admit it, she had a bit of a crush on the Hyuuga._

_They were walking in the gardens behind the Suna hospital where Sakura was still stationed as a base medic. The fights between the resurrected shinobi and white Zetsu had slowed down considerably, and Gaara and Shikamaru had deduced they were rallying the forces. For now, they were working on a plan to find Yamato and Anko, both of whom had gone missing. It was theorized that the white Zetsu army was using Yamato's wood release to form their bodies. Also, after the reports of Orochimaru's resurrection, Tsunade guessed (with a weary sigh) that Sasuke had used Anko's cursed seal to bring back the sannin. That could mean big trouble, and it bothered Sakura greatly that Sasuke would do such a horrible, stupid thing. However, it didn't surprise her, and that was perhaps the worst feeling of all. When did he go so far off the deep-end that Sakura stopped being surprised by his horrible actions?_

_Her internal thoughts were cut off by Kaede's arm tightening a bit. He had suffered a great amount of damage to his nervous system, and was still attempting to walk properly. "So," he began lightly. "I've decided that you should be my girlfriend."_

_Sakura gave a light laugh. She would have been shocked by his forwardness, but nothing seemed to surprise her when this man spoke anymore. Sure, the first time they had met and he called her a harpy was a bit surprising, but he had said tons of things more shocking since. For example, he called Neji, Neji-chan. Sakura just about fell over and died from laughter while Neji glared at Kaede so angrily that she was sure his eyes would shoot laser beams from them. _

"_What makes you say that?" Sakura quipped back as they took another step. This time she was considering saying yes. All these years she had punished herself. She punished herself for loving Sasuke. She punished herself for letting him go that night. She punished herself for giving up on him. She punished herself for being weak. So for all these years, she had been punishing herself, and it was time she stopped it. At least, that's what Kaede had said the first time he looked directly into her eyes. _

_It had been an admittedly nerve racking experience. He had just woken up permanently when he made eye contact with her fully. His face was serious, set in a grim line of determination, and he just __**stared**__ at her. Ivory eyes bore into her so forcefully that she just couldn't look away from him. The breath had been sucked from her body at the intensity of that stare – it was something she had never experienced before. After several minutes of the two just staring at each other, Kaede said, 'You need to stop punishing yourself.' It was one of the most surreal experiences that Sakura ever had, but it had affected her profoundly. _

_And now he was staring at her again with those big silver eyes that took her breath away._

"_Can I kiss you?" he asked, his voice suddenly carrying a serious tone. _

_Sakura thought she knew better, though, and scoffed. "Since when are you the type of guy who asks permission?" she asked playfully._

_That's when he stopped walking and turned her by the waist to face him. He was still leaning on her a bit because his leg hadn't been completely healed, and their proximity made Sakura's voice catch. His face was level with hers, meaning he was leaning over since he was a full head taller than her. His silver eyes stared at her with such intensity that she thought she just may melt into a puddle of pink water. Slowly, as if not to scare her, his finger came up and traced her bottom lip, the intense look never leaving his face. _

"_It would be your first kiss, right?" he asked, his tone taking on that serious quality that she heard so rarely. Her face turned pink from embarrassment, but she nodded. Kaede bit his lower lip a little, and it seemed that the words were strained when they came from his mouth. "Neji told me that it might not be mine to take."_

_She had gone from playful to embarrassed to serious in a matter of moment, but now Sakura was something else entirely. She was fuming mad. "You mean Sasuke?" she asked in clipped tone. Kaede nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. "I don't love him anymore, and my first kiss was never and will never be his."_

_With that said, Sakura wrapped her arms around Kaede's neck and pulled him down. His lips connected with hers quickly in a hard kiss. It wasn't the perfect kiss she had always been dreaming of. It was a little sloppy and he had to brace himself on her shoulders because of the nerve damage, but the second his lips met hers a shock ran through her body. The term of 'seeing fireworks' had always seemed corny to her, but now she understood what it meant; because right now, she was seeing fireworks. _

_When they finally pulled back, Kaede was back to normal, his satisfied smirk splaying across his face. "And that," he announced, popping her on the nose with his finger, "Is why you should be my girlfriend."_

_Sakura huffed in mock-exasperation even though her insides were still doing backflips from the encounter. "Fine."_

X

Sakura saw Sasuke's attack just in time, and her back bent back automatically to avoid the hit. Her arm reached out at the Uchiha was next to her. Grabbing his arm, she forced it behind his back and shoved him towards the ground. He was hovering a few feet from the earth, the chances of a face plant imminent, but Sakura held him upright.

"What was that?!" Sakura yelled from behind him.

A smirk crossed his face again as he forced chakra into his arms, wrenching them from her and twisted around. "Taijutsu spar – me and Naruto versus you and Kakashi – no chakra, just weapons," he clarified. "No Sharingan, no chakra enhanced fists, and no shadow clones."

Sakura looked at Kakashi who merely shrugged, but Naruto was already jeering them on for the match. Sakura thought for a moment, and maybe Sasuke was right. Maybe fighting their problems out would be a step in the right direction for them. So she pulled her back gloves from her kunai pouch. The warm, worn leather creaked happily under her fingers as she clenched and unclenched her hands.

"Fine," Sakura said with a grin. "But you'll have to come at us with the intent to kill."

A smirk from an Uchiha, a laugh from a kyuubi container, and a chuckle from a perverted Icha Icha addict was all the warning they had for the fight to begin.

Sakura threw the first punch which grazed Sasuke in the jaw. Jumping back, he saw her next move – a roundhouse kick on the ground – and jumped above the kick. His feet touched the earth a few moments later, and he was ready to strike with a series of well-executed hits to her chest. However, Sakura was much faster than she had been before and was able to dodge them all. Smirking, she slid to the side and threw a round of shuriken towards Sasuke. He dodged them easily, but that hadn't been the main attack. As he dodged left, Sakura was behind him and grasping onto his back.

With all the force that her strong legs would allow, she jumped high into the air with Sasuke in tow. When they reached their peak about fifteen meters in the air, Sakura let out a small laugh of victory as adrenaline rushed through her. This attack was more efficient with her chakra-enhanced strength when she could jump over three times as high as she could without it, but she was high enough to do some damage right now. Oh, how she loved this attack.

As they plummeted towards the earth, Sasuke put all of his strength into unlocking her firm hold over her shoulders. He did just in time – just before the duo hit the ground. His hands shot out underneath him, and he landed in a hand-stand before forcing his feet to come to the ground more slowly. He was moving then and moving fast. Her speed was something he had underestimated, but she still wasn't as fast as him. He was behind her before she had steadied herself from the fall, and slicing at her with an intense hit.

Sakura ducked just in time, but this action left her right side unbalanced and unprotected and she knew the hit was coming. Sasuke's leg hit her ribs with such force that she grunted from pain, but something happened that he didn't expect. She grabbed his leg and twisted. The _crack_ that sounded from his ankle being forced at such an odd angle was sickening and made her stomach lurch. This wasn't just some random enemy she was fighting; this was Sasuke, and she had just dislocated his ankle.

However, Sasuke wasn't completely helpless. As Sakura dropped his leg and jumped away to avoid his wrath, he snapped the ankle back in place with another _crack_ and a cringe of pain. He shook it out, knowing that it was going to be swollen and sore for at least a few days. But his onslaught of attacks continued. He was running towards her at full speed head on, which seemed to surprise her. She dodged the first and second hit, but the third had come at such an odd angle that it hit her in the elbow which was left weak and shaking from the force of his attack.

She hissed in pain automatically, but she was ready to counterattack. Since both Sasuke's arms were at his side from his attack, she took the moment to throw a hard punch right at his face. Once again, the forwardness and speed of her attack took him by surprise and she hit him square in the eye. _That _would bruise in the morning.

Sasuke was panting now but looked over at Kakashi and Naruto. They were both enjoying what seemed to be a relatively easy-going spar. "Let's switch," he called out, hoping for a bit of a reprieve.

Naruto cast him a nervous glance, but Sasuke merely nodded in a bit of encouragement, as much encouragement an Uchiha could give, anyway. With that, Naruto was charging Sakura, albeit halfheartedly. He wouldn't do it again, though, because Sakura landed a hard punch square in Naruto's jaw. He fired back with a wave of kunai which Sakura dodged handedly. She was charging him then, but switched her direction suddenly to take him off guard. Now she was throwing a barrage of kunai at him from the left. They met in the middle, kunai in hand, pressing together and staring fiercely into each other's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I'm sorry for leaving you," Naruto murmured. It was then that he saw the flash of pain the welded onto her features for a split second before the hard shell she had created fell back into place.

"I know you are," she replied coolly before breaking the spell of their kunai clash and jumped back to reposition herself. A rain of shuriken were being vaulted at her before she could think of a new plan, and it took all of her concentration to dodge that wave when he sent another her way. A rush of adrenaline filled Sakura. For the first time in her life, she felt as if he was really fighting her. Maybe he was holding back a little because that's what Naruto does, but he was treating her as an equal for the first time. It had been the same way with her match with Sasuke. He had come at her with all the speed and stamina he could muster.

For the first time, Sakura felt as though she was on par with her former teammates.

"Can you ever forgive me?" Naruto finally asked in a deadly sad tone, standing right in front of her. It took her a moment to realize that his shoulders were shaking. Ducking her head under her bangs as she closed the distance between them, she realized that more tears were falling from his eyes.

For the first time in a long time, her heart cried for the man in front of her. She had been blaming him for so long that she felt nothing but contempt for both him and Sasuke while they were gone, leaving her behind once again. But now she could see how sorry they truly were.

She could see how _broken_ they truly were.

"Yes," she finally answered as her own unshed tears finally made their way down her face, stinging her cheeks and falling into her mouth where they pooled under her chin. "I can, Naruto. I just need time."

A large grin spread over Naruto's face at her answer, and it nearly broke her heart and resolve right there. With the sun shining bright on his golden hair, scrunched cerulean eyes, and tears pouring down his face into his bright white teeth, Uzumaki Naruto never looked happier or more relieved.

"Then I'll win back your trust and friendship, Sakura-chan," he announced as he crouched for another round of sparring. As he lunged towards her for another attack, he swore, "That's a promise of a lifetime!"

X

"You think we should stop them?" Koji asked from his place in the trees with his brother and Sai. "They could kill each other. And this could go on for hours."

Sai shrugged, his gaze following Masaaki as he zigzagged through the trees in search of ink mice. "I think it's something they just need to do," he finally stated.

"It's surreal, watching the new generation of legendary sannin fight like this even if it's just a taijutsu spar," he commented.

Truly, it was a sight. Sakura's fists were being thrown so hard and so fast that they were mere blurs to the shinobi who were watching. Sasuke's movements were fluid, almost languid, as he dodged her hits and counterstriked with moves of his own. Naruto was much more brash and loud as he attacked Kakashi, but his attacks held so much raw power that it was almost tangible. And Kakashi was Kakashi. He was serious but anybody could tell that he was taking this spar with a grain of salt. His focused on dodging Naruto's attacks, but mostly watched Sakura pour all of her emotions into hitting Sasuke.

"They're troublesome."

"Ack!" Koji yelped as he fell from the tree, completely shocked at the new additions to their party.

"Nara-taichou, Hyuuga-taichou," Koichi greeted. His eyes widened at the other two who were present, "Shizune-san…Hokage-sama."

The Godaime smirked from her place on the ground, Shizune looking on worriedly from the side. Masaaki had run up to them in greeting and began chasing a squealing Tonton through the trees while Sai supervised the young boy. The Hokage's arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against a tree.

"This is the second time in five years that we've been standing here watching Team Seven reunite," she finally commented to Shizune who nodded in agreement. "It's different this time, but I think it's exactly what they need. You two still looking after her like nosey older brothers?"

Shikamaru scoffed while pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it in one motion. Neji shrugged and muttered, "Somebody has to."

Tsunade let out a laugh, but turned her attention back to the intense battle unfolding before them. Sakura had now switched to fighting Naruto, and both of them were crying while fighting. Naruto was still muttering apologies while Sakura's tears remained silent as she threw another onslaught of punches and kicks his way.

It was utterly heartbreaking and completely inspiring in one big heap of emotions, and none of them could look away.

X

The experience had been, in one word, cathartic. After a full hour of switching between Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura fell to the ground in a huff, her chest rising and falling from the exertion of the match. Kakashi was even breathing a little heavier than usual. But Naruto and Sasuke held the brunt of the damage. The Uchiha now had a sprained wrist, a black eye, and a cracked rib while Naruto was suffering from a severe concussion.

But Sasuke was right – it had been exactly what she needed.

A round of applause sounded from the edge of the training field, and Sakura's head swiveled to find a much larger audience than she realized. Tsunade, Shizune, Neji, Shikamaru, her ANBU squad, and Masaaki were walking from the edge of the woods towards to group lying in the clearing.

"Okaa-san, you were so cool!" Masaaki cheered as he ran towards his mother, pouncing on her stomach jovially from where she lay. "I want to learn how to fight like that!"

"Thanks, Masa-chan," she grunted from the pressure. Finally pulling herself into a seated position, she turned towards the group before here. "Shishou, Shizune, Neji-kun, Shika-kun," she greeted the newcomers.

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru stated as Sakura jumped up and plucked the cigarette from his mouth, grinding it beneath her sandals in a mere moment. Sakura just grinned. Neji was looking over her with calculated eyes, assuring that she wasn't injured and just acting as if she was alright.

"Anyway, I'd like to say that I'm here to make a social visit," the Hokage announced suddenly, garnering everybody's attention, "But I came here for Sakura. I have a solo mission for you starting tonight, and I need your verbal report on the Uchiha problem. You'll be gone three to four days."

Sasuke scowled and shoved his hands in his pockets. When had he become 'the Uchiha problem?' _Since you abandon the village, idiot, _he answered himself while he inwardly lashed himself for being such an idiot.

"Of course, shishou," Sakura replied professionally.

"Uchiha," Tsunade said, getting Sasuke's attention, "Your trial of sorts will be in seven days. Until then, you'll be kept in a jail cell. Kakashi will be the only shinobi with permission to take you out of the cell except for Ino, who will have to do some follow-up questions with you."

"Hn."

Meanwhile, Sakura turned towards Kakashi instantly who was already smiling.

"I'll take care of Masa-chan, don't worry about a thing," he answered before Sakura could even ask. She gave him a grateful look and a nod.

Kakashi had semi-retired after Sakura had been promoted to captain. He still took some missions, but most of his duties were now based in Konoha – such as training new ANBU recruits and proctoring the chunin or jounin examinations. Thankfully, it also meant that he stayed with Masaaki while Sakura was away on missions most of the time. It made Sakura feel awful, leaving Masaaki so much, but he understood that it was the life of a ninja. He was convinced his mother was some sort of super hero, and Sakura was positive it was because Kakashi told him stories of her old victories in battle and made them sound much more glorious than they really were. But she didn't mind Masaaki idolizing her so much because he admired many of the ninja in the village for one reason or another.

"Do you have to go, 'Kaa-san?" Masaaki whined, pulling on her shirt again. Sakura kneeled down and pulled the boy into a fierce hug.

"I'll be back in a few days," she promised, giving him a kiss on the head. "I love you. Be good for Kakashi, no asking him to teach you things you know I disapprove of, and make sure you do your homework and eat your vegetables. Those are the two best things you can do to be a good ninja one day."

"I love you too!" he called out as Sakura walked off with Tsunade towards the Hokage tower. "And I'll be good mom, I promise."

X

Tsunade's fingers were intertwined in front of her face while she stared at the group in front of her. No one spoke. It had been one week since Sakura left; she still wasn't back, and there hadn't been any word. Especially since adopting Masaaki, Sakura had always sent word if she was going to be late from returning. Even before then, she had been unusually good at keeping Tsunade updated, so such an event was rare, out of character, and a reason to worry. Her three day unexplained absence was starting to grind on the nerves of everybody who cared about her.

Except Masaaki – Kakashi had told him his mother had to stay out longer, and that she was alright. Masaaki had been sad, but he was unaffected by her absence so far since he thought it was explained.

Uchiha Sasuke was sitting in the middle of Tsunade's office, chained and chakra-sealed unnecessarily until this 'trial' was over. But there was a thick tension in the room that wasn't because of him. Kakashi was rather stiff as he stood flanking Sasuke's chair. Even Naruto was quieter than usual while he stood on Sasuke's other side. Neji and Shikamaru were standing behind the Hokage with worried grimaces on both of their faces; while Ino and Shizune were practically fidgeting out of their seats in the corner. Sakura's ANBU Squad 4 was also present, sitting in chairs along the back wall. They were presumably there for protection in case Sasuke went crazy and tried to kill the Hokage. But they seemed to be just as worried as everybody else in the room even though no one could see behind their masks. Their stature said it all, though. They were stiff and rigid with worry for their captain.

That was it – that was his trial. Both Naruto and Kakashi would testify for him while Ino gave her professional opinion on his mental state. Sakura was supposed to be here to testify for, or against – he wasn't sure, him; but she wasn't here. That's what was making everybody so damn anxious. Her mission was some A-ranked assassination that any jounin should have been able to do, but she wasn't back yet.

Breaking the silence, Tsunade sighed deeply. "If she isn't back by sundown, Hyuuga, Nara, you and your squads along with the remainder of Squad 4 will head out to search for her," she stated resolutely.

Neji and Shikamaru seemed to visibly inflate with the news that they could finally go to search for their missing friend, but a strangled voice and cough from the window interrupted their plans.

"No need, I'm here," Sakura muttered through gritted teeth, but anybody could automatically tell that something was _very_ wrong with the pink-haired medic. She was trembling, for one, in her crouched position on the window sill. The other main issue was that nobody had felt her coming. Although Sakura was very skilled at hiding her chakra signature, someone would have felt her jumping onto the roof and through the window. But no one had felt her chakra signature because she was completely _out_ of chakra. That was a whole slew of danger right there.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Tsunade asked instantly, but Sakura shook her head.

"Masaaki," she muttered, pointing to the corner of the room where a plant was sitting.

Had the woman gone crazy? A potted plant was not the same as her son. Perhaps she was suffering from delusions. "Sakura…"

"He's behind the plant," she hissed. "Get. Him. Out."

Just like that, a small figure peeked from behind the plant. "I fooled you!" he called to the room. Everybody stared with wide eyes as Masaaki jumped from behind the plant. Had they really been so focused on Sakura that they hadn't felt a small child in the room? Of course, Masaaki was already skilled at hiding his chakra signature, but they still should have been able to feel him! If that was the case, then how had Sakura known he was there? Could such things really be chalked up to maternal instincts? All of these questions needed answers, but they would have to wait because Sakura was suddenly going very pale, and she was clenching her mouth open and shut in order to keep herself from vomiting blood.

Masaaki's gaze turned from mischievous to worry in a moment, though, when he saw his mother. He whined in a concerned tone, "Okaa-san, are you alright?"

Sakura nodded tensely. Then her arm went to rest against her abdomen. "I'm fine," she hissed through gritted teeth. "Go with Ino, Masa-chan. Mommy's fine."

Masaaki looked worried but allowed Ino to scoop him up and out of the room anyway. When the door clicked behind them, Sakura let out a strangled cough and blood poured from her mouth as she collapsed into the room. Everybody was shouting for her as Tsunade began undressing the woman to find her wounds, but Sakura didn't hear because she was dead to the world in an instant.

* * *

AN: There's chapter three. I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know how I did on the battle between the members of Team Seven because I have to write a pretty big battle scene for one of my stories coming up, and I'm kind of using this as practice. I would really appreciate any feedback on that in particular, but any feedback or reviews are always loved!

Anyway, now that this is done, I'm going to go drown my sorrows because *sigh* the Blackhawks lost tonight. Whatever, they'll just get the Bruins next time.

Anyway, please review!


	4. Stop

AN: So, here's another chapter. I'm in the middle of South Dakota right now. One of the advantages of driving to your vacation spot is time – and I've had a lot of it. I've been writing nonstop, so there will be an influx of uploading when I get back home. So, here's all I'm going to say in the way of Masaaki's parentage – take a lesson from Kakashi and look underneath the underneath. I think some of you guys are looking over some big characters.

Thanks for reading and please review!

* * *

**In Order to Heal**

**Chapter 4: Stop**

* * *

"_Stop, take some time to think,_

_Figure out what's important to you._

_Stop, take some time to think,_

_Figure out what's important to you._

_Stop, take some time to think,_

_Figure out what's important to you._

_You've got to make a serious decision."_

_-Stop by Against Me!_

* * *

The first thing she realized as her mind began to rejoin her body was that her side and stomach _hurt_. Not like the cramp one can get from running too much, not like the hurt from a slash across the side from a kunai, but as if she had been impaled by a poison-laced sword two or three times.

Oh yeah, she remembered, that's because she had been. The memories of the past week were soon flooding her like river flooded the banks after a dam broke. Wincing, the pain in her stomach jerked, flipped, and tensed, only making it worse.

Stupid mission – stupid lying benefactor who said that that it was a simple scroll retrieval, jounin rank, and easily handled by one person – cha, except the fact that he was a bold faced liar. The jerk said that the scroll was to be stolen from a merchant who only had two semi-trained body guards with him. He failed to mention, however, that the merchant was a former mercenary who had a pretty page in the bingo books, and his two body guards were actually his S-class criminal friends with their own respective portions of her little black book dedicated to them. That's more of a mission for at _least_ an all jounin team; if not, an ANBU squad.

But no, because the man didn't want to pay up, Sakura had almost lost her life when one of the missing-nins impaled her through her ribs, lungs, and out of her back. If he had been a fraction of an inch over to the left, he would have severed her spinal cord – killing her, if she was lucky, instantly – or paralyzing her permanently. Thankfully, she was relatively close to Konoha when they dumped her presumably lifeless body, or she would have had to use the Yin seal to save her life; but that was a last option since her Yin seal utilized life energy, and now she needed to elongate her life the most she could since Masaaki depended on her now. The men who she had been pursuing, while incredibly formidable opponents on the battlefield, were dumb as bricks; _that_ fact saved her life that day. They hadn't realized that she had slowed her heartbeat so she would appear dead. Any other enemy would have completed the battle by doing something defiling to her body – such as burning it, stabbing a kunai to the heart, or chopping off her head.

However, they had just gracelessly dumped her a few hundred yards into the forests, assuming that no one would come looking for her. Sakura had not worn her headband so that the men could not trace her back to Konoha; however, they should have figured she was shinobi and someone would eventually come to look for her. Plus, not to be vain, but she was pretty famous. Sakura knew that her face was plastered in the bingo books of any enemy organization or enemy country. Being the student of one of the legendary sannin, the famous copy-cat ninja, _and_ Morino Ibiki, and personally earning honor after honor in the war, ensured that your enemies knew who you were – especially when you had pink hair. Pink! These thugs obviously hadn't recognized her, or they would have killed her. Maybe they had spent the last few years hiding under a rock.

Either way, their ignorance was what saved her life, so she shouldn't complain too much. For several days, Sakura was only able to lay still and regain some chakra, using what little she could muster to heal the worst of the injuries. Since she had such little chakra, there wasn't much healing she could do, so she had used what stores she had saved to transport herself to Konoha when she was strong enough to do so. Then she made her way to the Hokage's office, sensed Masa-chan in the corner, and then promptly passed out since she was in friendly territory.

Masaaki…

Another sharp jolt of pain ran through her stomach when she made to move. Was Masaaki okay? Was he worried about her? He was such an observant child – always fussing over her as if he was the parent. _You work too much, Kaa-san. You need to take it easy, Kaa-san. Did you eat lunch or dinner today, Kaa-san? You always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Okaa-san, so you should have more than just a piece of toast. You make me eat fruits and vegetables with every meal, so you should too! Sometimes you train too hard, Kaa-san. Even Kaka-ojiisan says you train too hard. _

Her voice was hoarse when she spoke, begging for someone to hear her and tell her how her son was. "Masa-"

"Stop moving. Annoying."

There's no mistaking that dark continence. The sound of someone moving from the chair on the other side of the room wafted to her ears as Sasuke stood up and went to the hall. When he came back, he went to the sink in the room and filled a cup of water, bringing it to her. His hands instantly went to her back, slowly, carefully, almost _tenderly_ lifting her so she could drink. After a few sips, she was feeling considerably better. Leaning back into a laying position, Sasuke supporting her the entire time, she closed her eyes. Even that small exertion was more than she could handle, and sleep was suddenly a prevalent notion on her mind. But there were things she needed to know before she allowed herself to become comatose once again. Long periods of sleep were common with chakra exhaustion, but she needed to know about Masaaki and what happened with Sasuke's trial.

Speaking of which, why was he here? The thought of him being her out of the goodness of his heart, because he cared about her, was almost laughable. If he was here, it was because he had to be...

"Sasuke?" Sakura muttered. She moved her head to the side to find Sasuke sitting back in the chair on the other side of the room, his hands crossed over his chest. "Masa-chan?"

"He's fine. Kakashi's been staying with him," Sasuke replied. "He hasn't seen you like this, so don't worry. They told him he could come visit when you woke up."

"How long?" Sasuke could hear that her voice was getting wary, and she would soon succumb to sleep once again. She must be exhausted. He had never felt so _little _chakra in someone before without the person being dead or not far from it.

He seemed to understand her question well enough. "Two days," he replied easily.

Sakura grimaced, her eyes fluttering shut as she did so. Each time she closed her eyes, it got more difficult to open them once again. A migraine was creeping up the base of her neck and into her head, and the soft light from the window – the only light in the room – was from the small bit peeking through the closed blinds. Suddenly, though, it was like staring straight into the sun.

One more question, she promised herself. "Why are you here?"

"Hn."

"Sasuke-"

"I'll explain later. Go to sleep. Tsunade will be in to see you soon," he commanded firmly, obviously done with the conversation.

"But-"

"_Sleep."_

Sakura sighed exasperatedly, but she was much too tired to argue or question him further. Her eyes fluttered closed, but this time her eyes didn't open once again. Sasuke watched her silently, activating his Sharingan to observe her chakra systems. Her chakra was slowly growing once again, and it wouldn't be long before it was strong enough to keep her awake, but it would be a while before she was doing any major jutsu or healing – such was the downfall of chakra exhaustion. It would be several days before she would be back to full power.

To be honest, Sasuke probably would have been here whether or not he was forced to. Even though right now he was required to be Sakura's side, he would have been checking up on her health even if he wasn't – one way or another. Because, after spending a good year and a half with Naruto, Sasuke began to realize what bonds were and why they were so important.

When his brother died and he'd realized he had almost killed the members of his teams, both of them, Sasuke had been _horrified_. It had taken time, but thanks to Naruto's persistence in being a part of his life post-war, Sasuke had realized how important the people who cared about him, and who he cared about as well, were. It had been a slow, painful, tumultuous process that included many angry rants at the unsuspecting blond, withdrawing from said blond, and many bitter nights spent with that dobe next to him, chatting merrily as if nothing was wrong.

Throughout the entire process – from the day that he showed up at the campsite Sasuke had made that night – to right now, Naruto had just sat by his side, and somehow, he knew exactly how to handle each of Sasuke's different moods. Some nights Naruto would yell back, sometimes he would stay silent, some nights he would just smile and talk back happily, and other nights he would get up and leave all together. But Naruto always returned – he would always return. And then one night, after a particularly bad fight with Naruto, when the blond had left and then returned an hour later, it hit Sasuke like a ton of bricks. The grief, the loneliness, the hurt, the _guilt_ all smacked him in the face like a freight train, and that's when he knew.

He had to go home.

He had to repair the bonds that he had severed, burned all those years ago. The future was a bleak one for him if he was alone, and spending such a ridiculous amount of time with that blond idiot had shown him that. Since Naruto had very adamantly decided to stay with him until he was ready to return home, Sasuke decided it was time to go home then. He couldn't very well spend the rest of his pitiful existence with _only_ Naruto, could he?

One of the bonds that he knew he would have to work hard to rebuild was Sakura, and she clearly wasn't taking his return as well as he had hoped. Honestly, he wasn't sure what he had wanted or expected out of her, but it surely wasn't the Sakura who he had encountered. But that's what they were dealing with now, and Sasuke had to accept that – and he had to work harder to gain back her trust. The conclusion of his trial would either help or disastrously hinder these efforts. He knew, though, that Sakura would _not_ be pleased. The Hokage had taken a particularly sick joy in delivering the verdict; one that Sasuke knew would probably mean his ultimate demise.

Now that he was _feeling_ again though, as he stared at the slumbering, pale, and utterly defenseless figure on the bed, he knew that he had to fix whatever their issues were. Because whether or not she wanted it, Sakura was one of those people who he had always and would always try to protect. Sure, he got lost for a while, but he was back now, and he would do whatever he could to make the past seven years up to her – even if she didn't want it.

X

"Say that again?" Her voice was crisp; an air of harsh contempt clipped at the end of the statement. Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Tsunade were all in the hospital room, various emotions spreading across their curious features. After three full days of rest, Sakura was finally well enough to wake up and go home with Masaaki, but she had to first be informed of her new house guest.

"Sasuke will be staying with you for the next year," Tsunade repeated. The pure amusement that was laced throughout her voice was blatant, and the Godaime clearly did nothing to hide it. "He has to complete one-thousand hours of community service over the next year, and that will be unpaid. Additionally, he will need to be guarded by ANBU at all times over the next year since he is on probation. You're the only one who I trust to keep an eye on him who has the room for him."

Sakura looked incredibly flustered. So much had happened over the past three days, and decisions had been made without her consent. Then again, she figured that nothing would change even if she had been conscious to dispute it. Tsunade had a reason for Sasuke wanting to stay with her. She wanted him staying in the house of someone with sannin strength, which was a limited group of people. Obviously she wasn't going to take Sasuke in herself, she didn't trust Naruto to take care of Sasuke, and Kakashi lived in a tiny studio-sized apartment with a few dividers that separated the 'rooms,' so he was out.

Since Sakura had more than enough room, she was the obvious choice. That didn't mean that she really wanted him there. But she really didn't have much of a choice, did she? It was an order, and it wasn't like Sasuke was imposing. He probably wanted to get his own place, but now he had to live with a single mother and her five-year-old son.

So, Sakura took a calming breath, and pulled her feet around the edge of the bed, slipping them into her sandals as she went. "Alright," she agreed begrudgingly. She looked at Sasuke and cocked her head towards the door. "Let's go."

"Hn," he replied sulkily, following her out of the hospital door as they glided easily out of the Konoha hospital. No words were exchanged, but the silence was relatively comfortable; as comfortable as it could be for two people who were now forced to live together for the next year. The warm summer air was relentless and blistering that day.

"Do you have any clothes?" Sakura asked as they walked down the main Konoha streets. People stopped to stare at them curiously. The word that the last Uchiha had returned had obviously spread throughout Konoha in the ten days or so since Sasuke had returned, but his casual, almost aloof demeanor that he exuded as he walked was a sight for sore eyes. It was something no one ever expected to see again. It was nice, Sakura thought to herself as she stopped to check on her favorite fruit and vegetable vendor. Between the mission, spending three days in the hospital, and Kakashi crashing at her place, her food stores at her house were probably painfully low.

"No," Sasuke finally answered her when he walked up to her to join her at the stand. Sakura greeted the vendor happily. An old man and his wife ran that stand, and Sasuke recognized them. They were a little feebler and older than he remembered, but eight years did that to people. The woman's eyes went wide when she saw him.

"Hebi-sannin-sama!" she exclaimed, bowing with surprising grace for such an elderly woman in front of Sasuke. Immediately, Sasuke's eyebrow quirked at the woman, making Sakura burst out laughing.

"It's a name the village gave to us during the war," Sakura explain, shrugging her shoulders. She leaned into Sasuke a little so the two vendors couldn't hear them as they busied themselves with filling Sakura's order. "It's annoying as hell, but they won't stop. Someone just started calling us by those names one day and they stuck. I've tried getting them to stop but they won't. Just go with it."

"Here you are, Katatsumuri-sannin-sama," the old man said. He handed her two full bags of fruit. "I put extra tomatoes in the bag for Sasuke-sama."

Sakura bowed lightly to the two, "Thank you so much Hiro-san."

Sasuke grabbed the two bags off the counter before Sakura could pick them up. He didn't say anything, and Sakura knew it would wound his pride if she made a fuss over the fact that he was still gentlemanly enough to carry her things for her. So instead, she just thanked him (receiving a nondescript grunt in response) and continued on her way towards her house.

The duo started walking back towards the edge of town where Sakura's house was. Once again, the silence wasn't horribly awkward, but Sakura wasn't necessarily comfortable either. Everything was happening so fast. She hadn't even been able to process the fact that Sasuke and Naruto had returned from their great adventure, and now she was expected to house Sasuke for at least a year. Plus, one-thousand hours of community service? That was a lot of hours, and Sakura could tell that had been picked out for a particular reason – it was too steep a number unless Tsunade had a particular task in mind for Sasuke. It mad Sakura wonder what Tsunade had in mind; she wouldn't assign that particular number without an idea of what she was going to have Sasuke do. It would most likely be long and painful for Sasuke. The thought was, admittedly, a little pleasing. Surely, Tsunade would assign Sasuke something he would absolutely hate to do.

"We'll have to get you clothes," Sakura finally voiced through the silence that had permeated around them. "We can go before we pick up Masa-chan from school."

"Hn."

Sakura found herself rolling her eyes; nostalgia hit her in full force – her, walking down the street with Sasuke, him being a silent jerk. All they needed was one knuckle-headed ninja to stir up the silence.

"Sasuke-teme, Sakura-chan!"

Speak of the devil. In a silent agreement, they kept walking down the street. They could hear Naruto's excited crooning from down the street as he neared them. He was weaving in and out of people in order to catch up to the duo, who were still walking away from him as if they hadn't heard him.

"SAKURA-CHAN, SASUKE-TEME! LET'S GO GET RAMEN!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Sakura huffed a sigh in exasperation.

"There's no getting out of this, is there?" Sakura finally asked. Sasuke grunted his dissent, meaning they were stuck with their exuberant friend. How easily things had fallen back into place was a little disconcerting to Sakura, but she just gave Sasuke a small smile. He looked at her a little oddly – his mouth parted stupidly, his head tilted in her direction, a perfectly shaped onyx eyebrow arched as if he'd just discovered something new. Her teeth bit into her lower lip to stop the laugh that was threatening to spill out from the unguarded, dumb look on his face. Sakura stopped and turned to look at Naruto, who was garnering his own fair share of stares from the people in the village.

"You guys up for some Ichiraku? I haven't had enough since I've gotten back! I've got two years to make up for!" Naruto exclaimed, practically screaming his excitement into their faces.

"Dobe, shut up."

"Naruto, there's no reason so spend all your money the week you get back on ramen," Sakura commented exasperatedly, but she was promptly ignored by Naruto who had more pressing matters to attend to.

"What'd you call me teme?" Naruto challenged. His fist shook threateningly in Sasuke's direction. Sasuke just looked away, a bored look on his face. Sakura was sure that if he could stuff his hands in his pockets, he would, but he was still carrying the groceries. The nostalgia and memories that flooded her was enough to either make her cry or laugh.

Thankfully, she laughed. Her mouth opened, and from the pit of her stomach, she laughed. It wasn't the small, tinkling giggle she held with someone amused her. This was a laugh of great joy – the ones that are felt from deep within. They start at the heart and move into the stomach, bursting out in a great blubber of happiness that hurts the lungs and the stomach, stains the eyes with tears of joy, and turns the face such an alarming shade of red that the people around worry about how much oxygen is getting to the brain. It was embarrassing, puzzling. It hurt her a little from within, but it was so glorious and wonderful, she laughed again while tears of something, either joy or pain, streamed down her face in rivers of salty water. It had been too long, she decided, since she'd laughed like that. Kaede had been alive if her memories served her right, and they often did.

Naruto just smiled at her while Sasuke watched her with that same puzzled look he had been wearing just before Naruto had arrived – as if he was realizing something for the very first time, and the revelation both disturbed and intrigued him. Several minutes later, Sakura regained herself, letting out the last vestiges of bubbled laughter. Naruto's and Sasuke's forms were blurred through her teary eyes while she wiped them away with the backs of her hands.

"I'm sorry," she finally breathed out through pants of breath while she tried to regain herself. "That was just so…normal…"

Naruto laughed. Sasuke smirked. Together, the three walked down the street to Ichiraku.

Not far away, a man with an orange book plastered in front of his black mask smiled at one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen, his spikey silver hair falling a little more over his face, and subconsciously, he thought to ask Sakura for a haircut later, but that wasn't important right now. What was important was the scene unfolding before him. Three twenty-year-olds were sitting, in their normal formation, at the bar stools of Ichiraku ramen. The young woman who sat in the middle of her two companions was hollering something at the man who sat to her left. He was a permanent fixture at this restaurant when he was in town. The young man to her right was smirking into his tea cup, muttering names under his breath.

It was so normal, so right. The last piece of a puzzle had finally fallen into place, and everything was, at least for a short time, exactly as it was supposed to be.

It was beautiful.

X

_Three years and two months prior:_

_The late spring air was more humid than was normal, but that was okay because there was not one particle of sand in sight. The sun wasn't blistering hot, and the breezes here were welcomed ones without the fear that a sand storm would stir somewhere in the distance. The trees were lush, and though most of the flower blossoms had already fallen, fresh fruit that was being plucked from the trees filled the air around her home village with a sweet, fruity scent that seemed to carry around no matter where she went. It was glorious._

_It was nice to be back in Konoha, Sakura thought, as she trudged down the street. Although her dismissal from the front lines in Suna had been contested, and in short, not her choice, she had forgotten how much she missed her home. And even better, Kaede was with her. Since they had both worked a one-year tour on the front lines, they were now entitled to a one month reprieve from the constant fighting, healing, more fighting, and brief bouts of sleep._

_For the first time in four years, Sakura could say she was truly happy. Even though she still missed her friends and family who were either at home or on the battlefield, and were never in the same place at the same time, Sakura was adjusting brilliantly. And she would be a fool to say that Kaede had nothing to do with it. In fact, he had everything to do with it. He made her smile and laugh like she hadn't in years, but he was still kind and sensitive when he needed to be. There was something about him that just made her feel so comfortable, so safe, and so loved. She needed to be loved, he had told her once late one night when he was still in the hospital and she was tending to him. _

_He took such good care of her. When she would return from a long stint at the hospital or the front lines, bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, feet swollen, and cranky beyond belief, Kaede made everything better. He would sit her down on his couch, pull her feet into his lap, and rub them until Sakura drifted into sleep. When she awoke, there would be warm tea and onigiri for her to munch on while she regained her strength. Very quickly, he had become her emotional rock. He would listen to her scream, cry, laugh, and talk. He never called her annoying or brushed off her words, and she loved him._

_That didn't mean that Sakura wasn't there for him as well. That's how relationships worked; there was a give and take to everything they did. There were many nights when he would drudge into his small apartment in Suna, which Sakura had slowly taken over the two months that she had been with him, and would unceremoniously fall on top of the couch without as much as a word. Sakura knew that things on the front lines were bad. Since she was primarily stationed in the medical tent, she saw the worst of the injuries, but missed much of the actual fighting and carnage. Her mentor had decided to hold her back since the threat of Madara resurrecting the ten-tails was a very real one. Their best fighters would have to be in top shape for that fight, so Sakura spent most of her time running a medical tent or helping at the Suna hospital and waiting to be called upon, to her eternal consternation. _

_But Kaede wasn't so lucky. He had been in the thick of battle for days on end, only coming home after a one-week stint on the front lines for a few days before being sent back out again. So Sakura did her best to help him. She never asked him about it because she knew he wasn't ready to talk about it; he may never be ready to talk about the horrible things he had seen out there. Over the past few months, he had lost two of his cousins and one of his old genin teammates. Sakura had lost people too – Asuma-sensei, Chouji had recently passed away, Tenten had just lost three fingers in an attack, and Lee had just sustained a back injury that could very well mean the end of his ninja career if he was ever able to walk again, but she hadn't watched them die like many of her comrades had._

_But now was her time to heal herself a little bit and Kaede was getting a much needed break from the front lines as well. However, as Sakura walked down the street towards the Hyuuga compound, uncertainty filled her. She and Kaede had never really talked about their relationship much past the war. Many shinobi were taking comfort in others while they dealt with the atrocities they faced every day, but that didn't mean that Sakura would be a welcome distraction beyond the front lines. It was the reason why she was so guarded with him, why she hadn't given herself to him fully yet, because she was scared. She was afraid he was using her for companionship for the war, but he would come home to marry a young Hyuuga woman. _

_Hyuuga Hiashi approved of Sakura, she knew from her friendship with both Neji and Hinata, but what about Kaede's immediate family? He had told her about his strict father and strong-willed mother, as well as his two brothers, but would she be accepted by the Hyuuga clan as more than that? Did Kaede even want more than that? They hadn't even talked about it. Maybe they should have because if Kaede rejected her now, she would be _crushed_. This was the first time that she'd been happy since Sasuke left, and for the first time, she was in love with someone, her mind was not on Sasuke, and she was happy. Her heart couldn't take much more abuse, and his rejection would be the biggest rejection of all. _

_Since she hadn't seen Kaede since he'd returned, her arrival in Konoha preceding his by a week, and she was nervous to see him. Her arrival in front of the Hyuuga compound took her off guard since she had been in such deep thought that she hadn't noticed how quickly she was walking, but she wasn't here to visit with Kaede. Neji had sustained grievous injuries during a battle after he threw himself in front of Naruto and Hinata, protecting them from being impaled several times by large wooden spokes. He very nearly died. After the worst of his nearly-fatal injuries were healed, he was sent back to Konoha semi-permanently to recuperate. His rehabilitation would be long, but he would heal and would most likely be able to return to full ninja duties when he was finished if he did everything Sakura and his other doctors told him. It didn't help that he was a stubborn bastard when it came to these things, but Neji knew what was important and would listen even if Sakura had to tie him down to a damn bed. _

_Her resolve back, she pushed open the gates to the compound, to be greeted with a wonderfully familiar sight. Hiashi, Hinata, and Hanabi were all in the front area, sparring casually with one and other. It must be nice that they all ended up on leave together. Even Hiashi had joined the ninja fighting in the war on the front lines even though he'd already lived through a war in his younger years. Most of his days were spent strategizing and training new recruits, but he was taking this war and the safety of his village seriously, just as he had taken everything else._

_Sakura immediately spotted her new patient sitting on the porch, sipping tea. His eyes were longing, and she could immediately see how badly he wanted to be out there with his uncle and cousins, sparring and fighting with them. When Sakura entered the gate fully and closed it behind her, the small spar immediately stopped and the four Hyuugas turned to look at her. _

"_Sakura-san," Hiashi greeted. It was obvious he had expected her. In fact, it wouldn't surprise her much if Hiashi had requested her expertise for this personally. Sakura had once healed a back injury on Hiashi, and not long after that, she found herself healing more of the Hyuugas that came into the hospital and her exam room. Hinata had soon informed her that Hiashi was so impressed with her, he had requested that Sakura be made their personal medic, which was, of course, denied. But that didn't mean he didn't use his power and influence to have her heal as many of the Hyuugas as he could. He would insist on her being Neji's personal medic for injuries as horrible as this._

"_Hiashi-sama, Hinata-chan, Hanabi-chan, Neji," Sakura greeted, giving a polite bow. A small smile spread across her face, "I'm here to examin my _favorite_ Hyuuga patient."_

"_Well that's just offensive," she heard a very familiar masculine scoff from behind her. Whirling her head around, she found exactly who she thought would be there, and the very man she was apprehensive to see. His face had that same damned arrogant smirk on it, his ivory eyes twinkling with mischief. Instead of his normal ninja gear, he was in a casual tunic and pair of ninja pants. His headband was still on his head, covering the curse mark that was etched on the foreheads of every branch member. Sakura had never seen it, for he always kept it covered by something, even when he slept. She gave him a small, unsure smile while butterflies filled her stomach as if it was the first time she'd ever seen him. Damn him for having this effect on her._

"_Well, sorry, but you're too difficult to tend to," Sakura rebuked, the same small smile on her face. His silver eyes were _looking_ at her again, digging into her soul. It was something she would never get used to. Most of the time, Kaede just looked at her, but other times, when she was particularly upset about something or if he thought something was wrong, he would _look _at her. The invasive way in which his eyes studied her always made her squirm, and he knew it too. _

_His eyes lightened with understanding, apparently having read her mind and picking out all of her apprehensions and fears about their relationship back in Konoha and post-war. Then his smirk got bigger, and she felt nothing short of irritation. The urge to punch him washed over her, but because Hiashi was around, she refrained. _

"_I'll see you after you examine Neji-_kun_," he stated slyly. If Neji was in the position to fight, he would have jumped Kaede in an instant, Sakura thought as she watched the murderous glower glaze over Neji's face. Before anything too horrible could happen, she interrupted, pulling Neji into the nearest bedroom to examine his wounds. She swore she heard Hiashi giving Kaede some sort of propriety speech before she closed the door. _

_Neji's examination was long, but relatively painless, at least for her; Neji was probably in a lot of pain, and it probably felt longer to him. His prognosis was good, but he would need plenty of rest and several months of physical therapy to slowly reacquaint himself with ninjahood, but he would be a ninja again. That news alone had considerably lifted his shoulders and lightened his mood, and he seemed to be willing to do whatever Sakura ordered in order to get himself back into top-shape. That would make everything easier for her and for him. _

_Neji offered to walk her to the front gate, but that wasn't needed because she spent enough time here to find her way around. Walking between the houses, Sakura suddenly got the feeling that she was being followed. Swooping down the small alley that separated two of the homes, Sakura waited from her all-too familiar stalker; she was very used to his presence now. _

_As she leaned against the wall of some unknown house, he appeared before her in an instant. His smile was as playful as always, but there was something in his eyes that was darker than she had ever seen in him. He approached her in a deadly grace that she had only ever seen when he was in a battle, which was a rare occurrence. His approach was that of a predator that had cornered his prey, and the evil gleam that sparked his silver eyes told her that she was the best catch of all to the man before her. _

_Before she realized exactly what was happening or what he was thinking, he had boxed her into her position by placing both of his hands on the wall around her head. Leaning down, without having said a word, he captured his lips in hers. She hadn't been expecting that, so it took a moment for her to respond, but when she did, he deepened the kiss. It sounded funny, being in a relationship for almost three months, and never having made-out for real before, but they hadn't yet. They even had lived together for over a month. Sakura, having had her heart broken once already, was fairly guarded. Plus, she was inexperienced in areas such as this, and Kaede was kind enough to take it slow._

_This kiss, however, was different. It was passionate and longing. His mouth moved against hers in an uncontrolled frenzy, telling her that her worries were unwarranted. It was just to like him, to know these things, and make her feel better about them. His tongue slid languidly against her bottom lip, and she opened it too him with a small gasp. His arms had wrapped around her waist at some point while her arms automatically made their way around his neck, leaving her hands free to play with his hair. The new position deepened the kiss as he explored her, taking time to memorize every inch of her while she reciprocated in fervor._

_When they finally pulled apart, his smirk was so arrogant that she would have hit him if it weren't for the fact that it would ruin the moment. She jutted her bottom lip out instead in order to pout. This time, he smiled at her and leaned down to bite her bottom lip between his teeth. She gasped at the unexpected affectionate gesture, eliciting a chuckle from her stupid, egotistical boyfriend._

"_Are you still concerned?" he finally asked her, leaning over to nuzzle his face in the side of her neck without loosening his hold around her waist. Sakura turned her face away, it burning red in embarrassment, but shook her head no. "Good," he replied, leaning down, and capturing her lips in another heated kiss._

X

"So, this is it," she announced as she jiggled the key into the lock. In all honesty, her house was just so…_Sakura_. It was just the right size for her, just the right color of pale blue, there were just the right amount of flowers and trees in the front yard, and it was just so perfect. When they entered, Sasuke instantly saw photos _everywhere_ of _everyone_ throughout the course of her life. There were dozens of Masaaki over the past year, many of them including Kakashi or her ANBU team. The house was modernly built like many of the houses in Konoha now were since Pein's attack. The front room held two couches, a television, and a small play area in the corner with toys strewn about. The pale green walls created a warm, homey feeling that Sasuke couldn't explain when his chest swelled with the unexpected and unfamiliar feeling. Just past the living room, there was a kitchen and a dining area. There were two more doors next to the stairs – one a closet, and the other was Sakura's bedroom, he later found out.

She led him up the stairs to a small hallway where there were four doors – two on either side. Opening the first one on the left, he saw a room that was obviously Masaaki's. Unlike the rest of the house, it was messy, as a young boy's should be. The dark blue walls matched the navy comforter on the bed, and there were many toys and clothes strewn about the floor. The toy kunai and shuriken set caught Sasuke's attention, but he didn't mention anything. Sakura muttered something about Kakashi never making the boy pick up, and closed the door. Pointing to the room right across from Masaaki's, she indicated the bathroom. Then she opened the door next to the bathroom. It was a small study. A desk was pushed to the corner and three large racks lined the other two walls in the corner. Scrolls and tomes filled the racks and shelves. However, it was the photo on the side of the desk that caught his attention. The original photo of Team Seven sat beneath a lamp – the only two items on the desk besides a notebook.

The significance of this lone object was overwhelming to Sasuke. Sakura obviously spent a lot of time in here, judging by the way the room was set up just right for her to work. The worn nature of the furniture and books told him that. She had decided that this was the place that she would keep her team photo – a place where she spent so much time looking at it. Maybe there was hope for them yet. If Sakura noticed his attention on the team photo, she didn't mention it; she simply backed out of the room and entered the guest bedroom across from the study, which would now be his room.

The walls were a tan color, and the comforter on the double bed was a deep sage that complimented the mahogany furniture. It was a simple room – a wardrobe, a closet, a small dresser and end table, as well as a desk making up the furniture besides the bed. It was comfortable and was a palace compared to some of the places Sasuke had stayed in during his years as a rogue traveler.

"Now we need to go see the Hokage before picking up Masaaki from school," Sakura reminded him. A messenger had arrived during their lunch at Ichiraku in the form of Kakashi, telling Sasuke and Sakura that the Hokage wanted to see him in order to tell Sasuke what he would be doing over the year he was on probation. Kakashi had given Sakura this significant look, silently telling Sakura something both important and amusing. Sakura had burst out laughing, asking Kakashi if it was really true, who nodded an affirmation. So Sakura figured out what his community service would be, but she wouldn't tell him what it was. Apparently, judging by Sakura's reaction, it would be painful for him.

Sakura went down to put away the groceries while Sasuke 'made himself at home,' but he had nothing to unpack except for a small sack with a change of clothes and two photos. The first he pulled out and set on the desk. It was a photo of his family, the one that was taken just prior to their deaths. His brother and father were both so stoic, and his mother's face was so sweet and amiable. His thumb ran longingly over the photo for a moment before he set it back down. Then the next photo was placed carefully on the end table that sat next to the bed. Team Seven. He didn't know why he had kept the photo for so long, but he could never find it within himself to throw it away.

Sakura called down to him from the living room, so he set the photo down and faced it towards the bed. He met her downstairs. She had changed from the scrubs she had swiped from the hospital – not having any clean clothes for herself since her stay in the hospital – into a pair of black shorts and a thin red tank top that she pulled a mesh tank top over. Like always, her ninja belt hung loosely from her slim hips and a kunai holster was bandaged to her upper thigh. It still stunned Sasuke how much Sakura had grown. She was no longer that little girl he had known. She was a full-fledged woman with a full-fledged, amazing body. Long legs, a toned stomach, ample breasts had been molded to make the lovely young woman before him. Her previously awkward forehead and obnoxious pink hair now suited her. Her short, choppy locks accentuated her soft features, making them a little more serious, perhaps so others would take her more seriously. Overall, she was the epitome of a serious, dedicated, beautiful kunoichi. Sakura smiled at him shyly, apparently noticing his gaze, and giggled nervously.

"Come on, time to go," she announced in a false cheer that Sasuke picked up on immediately. In order to preserve some form of his dignity, he stayed silent for the entire walk to the Hokage's tower. Many of the villagers stopped to greet him, to tell him how happy they were that he was back. Sakura explained that the truth of the Uchiha massacre had come out during the war, and that, coupled with his feats in destroying Madara and Orochimaru, had all but saved Sasuke in the eyes of the villagers. He had always been a victim to them, but during his defection, they had grown wary of the last Uchiha, seeing him as a poor victim turned to an enemy. After the truth was revealed, though, they began to revere him just as they did Sakura and Naruto. The three had become some sort of strange messiahs to villagers and fellow shinobi alike. It was strange and unappreciated, but Sakura could do nothing to stop such attention.

They reached the Hokage tower and Sakura walked up the stairs knowingly; obviously she was a permanent fixture in the tower judging by the way everyone either greeted her or slightly cowered in fear at her presence. Sasuke had to admit that she exuded a particular confidence walking up the stairs. He suddenly got the feeling that she was one of the highest-ranking individuals in Konoha, but she hadn't mentioned anything like that. Besides rattling off her positions and accomplishments in their first meeting, she hadn't mentioned anything about her work in Konoha.

They reached the door to the room where the Hokage handed out missions and did most of her work. Before they could even knock, there was a gruff 'come in' from the other side of the door. Sakura gave another knowing smile before pushing the door open. To Sasuke's surprise, Kakashi was in the room with the Hokage, along with Masaaki. Tsunade greeted them with a nod. Masaaki was oddly quiet, giving Sasuke an inquisitive look.

"Kakashi you can take Masa-chan into the hallway now," Tsunade said kindly, giving Masaaki a playful pat on the head.

"See you later Tsunade-obaa-sama!" he called while Kakashi carried him on his shoulders out of the room. When the door had clicked softly behind them, Tsunade let herself smile affectionately in the direction of the door.

"He really is a gem," she said in an uncharacteristic moment of fondness. Sasuke watched while Sakura's eyes softened and nodded her agreement. "Anyway," Tsunade continued, "We just explained everything to him, including how Sasuke will be living with you. He seems excited."

Sakura rolled her eyes. She commented, "He probably thinks he has a new playmate."

"You should just get him that dog he's been asking for," Tsunade joked. Sakura wrinkled her nose.

"I can barely take care of him. How am I supposed to take care of a dog too?" she questioned. Sasuke agreed. He wasn't very fond of dogs, preferring the Uchiha cats to dogs.

Tsunade just shrugged her shoulders and turned her eyes to Sasuke. "Uchiha," she greeted. "You are here to receive the job you will be completing for your community service. In almost every graduating class, there is at least one child prodigy. Your graduating classes happened to have three – although all three of you are a little weird, and were prodigious in just one or two areas – like Sakura in chakra control, yourself in weaponry and ninjutsu, and Naruto…was well…Naruto. Every ten years or so, though, a child is born who is prodigious in many different areas. When these children enter the academy, they tend to graduate very early; so early, that we can't put them on a genin team. These children aren't socially mature enough to handle being around other genin who are several years older than him or her and a sensei, but they shouldn't be held back because it would only detriment them further. Are you aware of the last time we had a student like this?"

Sasuke nodded and answered, "Itachi."

"Right," Tsunade nodded and agreed, "And the one before him was Kakashi. What we do in these situations is graduate the child from the academy when they are ready and assign him a personal sensei who molds him until he is ready to be placed on a genin team, albeit temporarily, for the chunin exams. The time period for their training varies on the student. For your brother, it was two years. For Kakashi, it was merely a year, but he was fairly advanced. Anyway, we have such a student who is in the first year of the academy and is already efficient enough to pass the academy exams, and I'd bet my money on him being able to even pass the chunin exams at this point. Do you understand what I'm saying Sasuke? Haruno Masaaki is a prodigy, and he needs a sensei who will be able to teach him something. I think you are that sensei. We've been trying to decide who would be a good match for his skills, and I think you will teach him very well."

Sakura was watching him apprehensively, waiting for his reaction. Sasuke merely nodded his assent. Although he didn't like kids, there was something about Masaaki that reminded Sasuke of himself. He didn't seem as annoying as the other kids either, despite the fact that he seemed to like to talk a lot. However, his conversations always seemed intelligent for a four (almost five, Masaaki had reminded him when he'd seen him during Sakura's stay at the hospital) year old. It wasn't the greatest job in the world, but his punishment could have been much more severe.

"I accept," he finally said stoically. Sakura seemed to deflate in relief next to him. They must have been looking for someone for a very long time if it excited her this much to finally have found Masaaki a sensei. He gave her a puzzled look.

"No one here was able to be Masa-chan's sensei, except maybe Kakashi, but he had just retired and I didn't have the heart to ask him to come out of retirement to train my son," Sakura explained. "The only other person who was willing and more than able to train him was Gaara, and that would mean moving to Suna for at least a year. And I just got back from Suna."

The way Sakura's nose wrinkled told Sasuke that Sakura wasn't eager to return to Suna. He nodded his head in understanding. Tsunade cleared her throat from behind her chair.

"Very well," she announced. "Uchiha Sasuke, you are now the sensei of Haruno Masaaki until he is ready to take the chunin exams."

Sasuke nodded again. How hard could this be?

* * *

AN: Holy shit, guys. Every time I think that I'm going to make a chapter a little shorter, it ends up being the longest chapter I've ever written for fanfiction, which this one is. Damn. Alright, well thanks for reading and please review!


	5. Guilty Filthy Soul

**Warning: **This chapter does have some sexual content, but I do not feel that it is enough to push the rating up to "Mature or NC-17." I tried to think of some of the stuff they showed in PG-13 movies, and I think this maybe goes a few steps beyond that. Please be aware of this while you are reading.

AN: In other news, no one has guessed Masaaki's parents yet. It's time you people started thinking outside of the box. Let me remind you that Masaaki is genetically engineered and was a test tube baby. However, I'm really enjoying reading your comments and ideas and thoughts. They are all so intriguing and I'm loving some of the responses I get. Keep them coming!

Also, some people mentioned that they were disappointed that Sakura had forgiven Sasuke so easily. She hasn't, yet. I realize that I made her a little nicer than I meant to. Right now, Sakura is battling with the emotions of being angry with Sasuke and Naruto, and the fact that this was a goal she had since she was thirteen, to bring him home. I hope I did a better job of showing her inner turmoil along with her weariness of Sasuke in this chapter.

Thank you for reading this chapter!

Your reviews make me write, and you like it when I write, right?

* * *

**In Order to Heal **

**Chapter 5: Guilty Filthy Soul**

* * *

"_Cause you gotta look her in the eye  
And you gotta love your way of life  
Cause you gotta guilty, filthy soul  
Don't ya know it's out of your control."_

_-Guilty Filthy Soul, AWOLNATION_

* * *

Sasuke had always been an early riser, so it was no surprise to him when he awoke just as the sun was peaking over the horizon.

The hot summer air filtered into the room through the lone window, and even though the house was air conditioned, the stifling, still heat was sweltering. It took him a moment to catch his slightly ragged breath before bringing himself up into a light sitting position, contemplating the most recent nightmare. They were perpetual, continuous, and would most likely haunt him for the rest of his life. He had to stop himself from outwardly shrugging. This was his bed that he had made, and now he had to live with the consequences.

Sakura's home was comfortable, colorful, just like her, but it didn't stop the nightmares. _Nothing stops the nightmares_. He ran a cold hand through his damp hair, wet from the cold sweat that had formed over his brow and neck, forcing himself to wake up from the perpetually groggy state that he found himself in. Bare feet hit the soft wood floor soundlessly; a silence that only a ninja, a missing-nin in particular, could create.

The door opened with a small _creak_ that reverberated throughout the silent house. Masaaki's door was cracked open, the light from the hall seeping into his small, dark bedroom, gleaming a light on his innocently round face. A stuffed dog was clutched tightly into his small, fragile hands, and Sasuke found himself wondering how the hell he was supposed to teach such a small child to become a ninja – a killer.

Of course, he wouldn't be taking missions of _that_ nature for a long while; at least, Sasuke hoped not.

A small half-smile – bigger than a smirk, but not quite a smile – found its way onto his face when he noticed that the boy even wore a bandana in his sleep, green this time, ruffling his midnight locks atop his chubby head as it knotted on the crown of his rounded head. The boy shifted slightly in his sleep, muttering something incoherent before turning onto his stomach, stuffed dog in hand, and falling back into a soundless sleep.

Sasuke made silent steps into the bathroom, his new clothes in hand, and quickly showered, shaved, and brushed his teeth to prepare for the day. The sun was fully in the sky now, but it was still much too early for anybody else to be awake, so for the next hour or so, he decided to busy himself by reading through medical texts in Sakura's study.

Imagine his shock when he realized that Sakura had written many of the tomes herself. So he quietly leafed through the pages of the medical works, slowly but surely learning Haruno Sakura all over again.

Her expertise was in everything, but most of her writings were about the chakra systems in humans and how kekkei genkai could affect them. There were even chapters on the Sharingan, and Sasuke got the innate feeling that Sakura had been sneaking through the old Uchiha compound in order to get some of her information. There were chapters on the Byakugan and even the Rinnegan although that chapter was much shorter. Sakura had even put in her own anecdote of her battle with the Rinnegan, but there wasn't much scientific experimentation done on the eye. However, it was her recollection of Pein's attack on Konoha that left the village completely devastated that shocked him into closing the book after reading through the events of that day.

When the sun had risen a little further over the horizon, he felt comfortable enough to make his way downstairs and into the kitchen. As he filled the coffee pot with black grounds, he began to wonder if she still had many of the same habits that she used to. He wondered if blueberry was still her favorite flavored tea, or if forced to drink coffee, if she would still dump tablespoon after tablespoon of sugar and cream into it, trying to force all of the actual coffee taste out of her cup. He spied no cream and sugar next to the pot, which was very well used, so she must take her coffee black now. Reaching his hand into the cupboard above the pot, he found several boxes of tea, and was slightly amused and pleased to see that the blueberry box was the emptiest.

Just as he was about to put tea on for himself – much preferring tea over coffee – he heard a small creak in the floorboards above the stairs. At that moment, there was a change in Sakura's chakra signature from her bedroom. It went from soft, even patterns of calm, which are very common for sleep, to startled and awake; however, it quickly softened and Sasuke swore he could almost feel Sakura's amusement.

Slightly confused by the sudden change, he turned towards the stairs to see Masaaki creeping down them in a ninja crouch as quietly as he could, a mischievous smile lighting his sleepy features, and a dawn of understanding washed over Sasuke. He watched with mildly veiled amusement as Masaaki crept all the way down the stairs.

Looking at Sasuke intently, the young boy put a small index finger to his lips, imploring his new sensei to be silent while he mounted his attack. Sasuke merely inclined his head at the troublesome youngster and watched as the boy silently slipped into the small spaced where his mother had left the door open so he could come find her at night if he had a nightmare.

Sasuke just listened, knowing very well that Sakura was awake from the very moment that the boy had made it to the stairs; however, Masaaki was still too young and inexperienced to sense the changes in chakra patterns of a person. Only years of experience would give him that particular skill.

Breaking him out of his inner musings, there was a small crash and a loud squeal of laughter from deep within Sakura's room.

"Got you!" cried a high pitched voice from behind the mostly-closed door. An unwilling smirk made its way over Sasuke's face as he heard a shout from the kunoichi – a mock battle cry, really – and a round of high pitched giggles from both parties as Masaaki was surely being tickled to death by his mother. There was another small crash, another smaller fit of giggles, and then silence.

Sakura emerged moments later with Masaaki in tow, a light smile on her face as she walked into the kitchen. If she was surprised to see Sasuke standing in her kitchen already, preparing coffee and tea, then she didn't show it, but he figured she would have sensed him here long before she even left her bedroom. He wasn't hiding his chakra at all. Before she could greet him, he offered her a cup.

"Coffee or tea?" he asked gruffly while pouring his own cup of tea. Sakura smiled at him openly, clearly pleased with the premade beverages for the morning. Sometimes waiting for them to brew was the longest process of all.

"Tea with breakfast – I take the coffee to work," she responded.

"Blueberry is still your favorite," Sasuke stated. Really, it was meant to sound like a question, but it came out much more as a knowing statement than anything.

Sakura smiled at him once again. Just like the other day, when she had smiled at him in the market, and when she had laughed, he felt something warmly unfamiliar rise within him. It wasn't anything that he had felt before, so he wasn't sure how to handle it, but this time he just schooled his featured as the sense of _home_ welled within him.

Even though he still felt this invisible, untouchable _barrier_ around her, protecting her from him, she was still Sakura. She may keep him at arm's length, at least for a time, but she was still, first and foremost, Sakura, and that meant something to him; it had to. There had been those moments of candidness with him – the moment in the market when she laughed, the time spent around her son when she was just so _happy_, in which he could still feel the sense that she was still there, that the years hadn't completely hardened her yet.

Sakura, just like the rest of them, may be broken, but she was still fixable.

"It is still my favorite," she finally confirmed, but she plucked another packet of tea from the cabinet and placed it into her cup and filled it with hot water, "but I drink green tea for breakfast."

"Aa," Sasuke responded evenly, sidestepping out of her way so she could get her tea.

"Okaa-san, what's for breakfast?" Masaaki asked from his place at the table. The boy had already filled his cup with milk while the adults talked, and he was eagerly anticipating his breakfast. Sakura moved around the counter and opened up the refrigerator, pulling out two large containers of miso soup that she had made the night before in preparation for a quick breakfast this morning.

"Miso soup and rice," Sakura replied easily, dumping the containers into a large pot and flicking the stove on with her hand in a fluid motion. Masaaki made a face, his small nose scrunching him as his eyes shut with distaste.

"I don't like miso," he complained. Sasuke was joining him at the breakfast table now with his tea, eyeing the young boy with disguised amusement. From her position at the stove, Sakura rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"Miso soup is good for you," she stated evenly. "Ask your sensei."

Masaaki's attention was now solely focused on Sasuke, who found himself slightly unnerved by the undivided attention of the young boy. However, he could tell that Sakura was asking for his help in a way, and he got the distinct feeling that this was an argument that the two had on a regular basis.

"The vegetables in miso contain many important vitamins. You will need them if you wish to be a strong shinobi," Sasuke replied impassively, meeting the gaze of the boy. Masaaki shrugged his shoulders, admitting his defeat. The downtrodden look of the young boy didn't sit well with Sasuke, so he added, "If you eat your entire breakfast and do well with your training today, I will teach you a fire jutsu."

The unmistakable joy that lit up Masaaki's face made Sasuke quirk his lips; it struck him for a moment that a few years ago, he would find no such enjoyment in making others happy. Sakura, on the other hand, looked unimpressed by his declaration. She had spooned large servings of rice into bowls that clattered onto the table.

"Nothing too dangerous," she admonished lightly with a soft, amused quirk of her lips. "We can't have him burning the house down when he tries to practice."

Sasuke grunted in response and began to pull rice into his chopsticks when he felt something inconsistent in the rice. He looked down to see several small red cubes mixed into the small bowl, and he couldn't stop the smirk that spread across his face. Sakura had just served the miso soup and was sitting down when she noticed where his attentions were.

"You still like diced tomato in your rice," she stated evenly, just as he had done earlier with his tea.

"Aa," he replied quietly and began eating in even, fluid bites. He didn't need to tell her that this was the first home cooked meal he had in nearly eight years.

Their breakfast was filled with a slightly contentious silence. Sasuke could feel the air of unease around Sakura. It would be a long while, he mused, before she would feel more comfortable around him. If it had been years ago, or even months ago that he had returned, her approval wouldn't have mattered to him; however, his perspective was different now than when he was younger. Precious people were few and far between, and he needed to keep the few that would tolerate his presence close (_Stupid dobe for making me soft_). How he would do this, he wasn't sure of yet, but he would gain Sakura's trust back.

When breakfast was finished, Sakura rinsed off the plates and placed them in the sink. Sasuke watched her carefully. Her shoulders were stiff from the tension of having a new house guest, but she was trying her best to act normally around him.

"Masa-chan, go comb your hair, wash your face, and brush your teeth," she ordered quietly. Masaaki hopped off his chair, chugging the last of his milk so quickly that small dribbles poured down his lip and pooling in the small cleft of his chin.

"Yes, 'Kaa-san," he replied almost mockingly. Sakura grit her teeth a little in mild exasperation.

"And put on clean underwear!" she added as the young boy bound up the stairs. Her attentions were then turned back to Sasuke who was watching her amusedly. She had felt his intense attention on her the entire morning. "You have to get Masa-chan from school at one for his training. An ANBU has to watch you when you're not with me, so Sai will be over in a few minutes. I work until six."

"Hn."

He knew his response would bother her. She had always hated it when he had just grunted at her in the past. And to be honest, he had done it to get a rise out of her – to get anything out of her. This fake nice bullshit that she had been exhibiting all morning was starting to grate on his nerves, and he just wanted her back – the old Sakura. He had seen the moments of joy that she experienced; he knew that she was in there somewhere. Even if she wasn't nice to him, if she could just be mean or angry with him…at least it would be real.

Slim, feminine, and deceptive fingers clenching in frustration, he watched as her eyes hardened and her jaw ticked. The scolding that he had expected to receive never came, though. The woman before him bit her lip and left the room after a weary sigh. Somehow, he wished she had just yelled at him.

X

"Just be nice to her teme. Do nice stuff for her," Naruto advised happily, slurping down his ramen greedily. Sai was watching his old friend chow down on his sixth bowl while Sasuke drained yet another cup of blueberry tea.

After the masked ANBU, Sai, showed up at the house around eight, Sakura had left to drop off Masaaki at school and head to work. Deciding it was best to not argue with the blunt comments of his replacement, Sasuke trained for a few hours before finding Naruto for lunch. He shared his comments, concisely and with a hint of annoyance, to Naruto.

"Ugly-taichou is still just Ugly on the inside," Sai commented flatly. Sasuke took his eyes off of his tea to stare at the pale-faced ninja (it was summer, how was he so pale?) that sat before him.

"Hn?"

"He's saying, Sasuke, that Sakura is still Sakura. She has put on this hardened exterior over the years, little by little, but deep down she is still the same person. The tragedies in her life have affected her profoundly, yes, but they haven't changed who she is. Unlike you," said a weary voice from behind them. Kakashi slid into the seat next to Sasuke and spoke without taking his nose out of his dirty novel.

"Unlike teme?" Naruto questioned – noodles falling from his mouth as he did so.

"The events in Sasuke's life have changed who he is as a person. Sakura's have not," Kakashi explained shortly, waving down Ayame for a cup of tea. "She has just built a wall around her that she has used to defend herself from her problems – a wall that is slowly coming down now that you two have returned coupled with Masaaki's influence. Really, I think that Sakura is happy that you're back, but she doesn't know how to deal with what she's feeling now."

"When did you get so insightful?" Sasuke grumbled.

"When Sakura would spend nights at my house crying herself to sleep after you left again along with Naruto here," Kakashi answered shortly. There was no malice in his words; he said it so casually that he could have been talking about the weather or about a movie he had seen last night.

Both Naruto's and Sasuke's reactions were instant. Naruto's face fell dejectedly and the chopsticks dropped out of his hand and into the bowl. Ramen suddenly didn't sound so good anymore. The teacup Sasuke had been drinking split under his hand, cutting the skin just below his index finger. The cut was superficial and barely bled, but it seemed so much deeper than that.

Since Kakashi had now said his peace, he stood and left, leaving his two former students to front the bill for his tea and contemplate the meaning of his words; he knew they would probably spend the rest of the day thinking of what he had said.

Watching the scene unfold before him, Sai decided that it was time to intervene before the two melancholy souls in front of him made everybody in the room depressed. Their miserable aura was coming off of them in waves, and it was enough to make Sai's fake smile fall.

"It is time to retrieve Masaaki from school," he announced and began walking off in the direction of the academy, not waiting for Sasuke to catch up. Mumbling incoherent profanities under his breath directed at himself, Sasuke shoved a small pile of money – enough to pay for everyone – onto the counter and walked away, shoving his hands into his pockets.

The walk to the academy was fast and held in a comfortable silence, and Masaaki was already waiting outside of the gates when the two ninja walked up. He and his other classmates spent the mornings doing regular subjects – reading, writing, science, and math – but in the afternoons, they spent their time doing ninja-related activities. It was mostly theory – learning different plants and weapons, learning about the different types of jutsu, and ninja history. These were all things that Masaaki had already memorized or mastered, before the age of five, so he was ready to move onto practice; something his classmates wouldn't be ready until they were seven.

Sasuke greeted the young boy with a grunt, and the odd trio began their way to the training grounds. Slightly restless form school, Masaaki rung his hands through his shirt as he eagerly anticipated and predicted what they would be doing today.

"Sasuke-sensei?" he questioned quietly. Sasuke looked down at the young boy, quirking his eyebrow, asking him what he wanted. "What will we be doing today?"

"I need to get an idea of your abilities. If you do well, then you will learn a fire jutsu," Sasuke replied evenly. Masaaki's face immediately lit up with the promise of a new jutsu for his arsenal, and he bound ahead of the two men trailing him in order to make it to the training grounds faster. The two adults behind him kept their moderate pace.

Training ground three was just as Sasuke remembered it – the wooden posts, the small forests and cliffs on the outskirts of the trainings grounds, and the small lake at the other end. The memories that he had here, good and bad, with his friends and teammates flooded him. Guilt welled fully within him, as it often did, before he crushed it back down. There was no use dwelling on the past now that he was trying so hard to fix his future.

Sai sat right outside the fence to the grounds to give Sasuke and Masaaki some privacy.

Sasuke sat by a tree and eyed the boy carefully, deciding his next course of action carefully. The hyperactive four-year-old was decked out in black mini-shinobi pants, a grey shirt, and a matching gray bandana that was tied in a strip around his forehead, allowing his black bangs to fall over his forest colored eye in a very Kakashi-esque fashion. However, his body posture was nothing like the aloof Kakashi. The young boy before him was practically bouncing out of skin with excitement.

Letting out a small breath, Sasuke prepared himself for a long afternoon.

"Can you walk up trees?"

X

"I think you're an idiot."

"Thanks, Ino," Sakura sighed wearily. Her signature was scribbled in an unprofessional haste as she handed another sheet to the medic standing before her, allowing the shinobi whose file she had been looking at back on active duty. Sakura ignored her best friend in favor of pouring herself another cup of coffee, watering the scalding liquid down with some ice water. Ino helped herself to some coffee as well and followed Sakura past the front room of her office – the one that housed the desks of Sakura's two apprentices and her assistant – and into Sakura's own private office.

"I'm just saying that this is what you've been waiting for! They're back! _He's _back. And I know you're mad, Forehead, and I get that, but this is what you've been working towards for a long time," Ino goaded, falling down into the couch in the corner of the room. "Really, I think you two belong together."

"I do have a boyfriend Ino," Sakura reminded her thoughtfully. Ino scoffed instantly.

"He's been on a mission for most of your relationship, and I thought you guys were just keeping things light and casual," Ino pointed out. Sakura bit her lip – Ino had her there.

Sakura ran a hand over her face and took another long sip of coffee, ignoring her blunt friend's words completely. Really, she didn't want to talk about this right now. Her feelings towards Sasuke had always been muddled since the day that he left, and although she was thrilled to have both of the boys back, she was still so angry, but she was just getting so tired.

She didn't want to be angry or tired or hurt anymore, but she didn't know how to _not_. The thoughts and emotions and feelings had been settled within her for so long that she didn't know how to be anything but this broken piece of angry kunoichi that she was most of the time.

"I need to get back to work, Ino. We have a new prisoner, and I need to get this work done in order to participate in his interrogation," Sakura snapped, throwing her hands up in exaggeration.

Ino just rolled her eyes, being used to her best friend's complaints. But she obviously wasn't going to get anywhere with her stubborn friend today, so she chose to change subjects. Torturing Sakura with her persistence was one of her favorite past times anyway, and she would strike later when Sakura was less rested and emotionally stable.

"We've been getting a lot of enemy activity from the northern border," Ino commented. Sakura pursed her lips; the deep lines of worry that etched her face beginning to become permanent.

"Shika-kun told me," Sakura replied despairingly. "Who are these ninja coming so close? They aren't rogues and they don't seem to have any affiliation."

Ino shrugged before letting a wicked grin cross her features.

"Forehead, that's what we have to find out."

Sakura matched her grin.

X

_Three Years Prior_

_The fight with the ten-tails and Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito was over, leaving her confused and hurting. Right after the fight, Sasuke had gone and disappeared again with Orochimaru and his team, infuriating Naruto. But the blonde had other matters to deal with, such as finishing the war with the white Zetsu clones and the resurrected shinobi. The Hokage-wannabe was also spending some much deserved time with his father. Some new enemy was now producing former foe and turning them on the Allied Shinobi Forces, such as Kabuto, Pein, and Konan. And although Sakura was hurting, he had been there through the entire thing. _

_When she had returned from that fight, Kaede had been absent due to another battle, he hugged her and let her cry. He didn't get jealous that she was crying over another man, and he seemed to understand the deep connection that she and Naruto had for their former teammate. He had seen her completely that night as he held her in his arms, rocking her to sleep as she sobbed all of her hurt and her pain out. He had just seen her, raw and broken and fighting to stay afloat._

_So that's why she knew that something was different that night. First of all, he used the front door. _

_Something was wrong with him. She could tell. His eyes held none of their usual laughter that night as he trudged into her small apartment in Konoha. Usually he would find his way into the window and try to scare her. Sometimes he even succeeded. However, his silver eyes were destitute as he walked through the door, using the spare key she had given him. Before she could utter a single greeting, he walked over to the couch and engulfed her in a desperate hug, falling in place next to her. _

_His ANBU gear dropped to the ground in a large heap on the floor as he grasped her by the shoulders and pulled her so forcefully to him that she ended up sliding onto his lap. Shoulders shaking and with raspy breaths, he just started to murmur 'I love you' into her ear, a continuous and desperate mantra as he clutched her urgently. _

_Sakura was taken aback by his sudden forwardness, but she clutched him back with equal fervor. Obviously her boyfriend had seen or been a part of something terrible if he was so upset, so the duo sat in a calm silence until he pulled back to look at her. _

"_I love you too," she replied hesitantly, staring at him earnestly. He didn't seem to realize that this was their first time exchanging such important words. Silver eyes were looking at her, but they were unfocused through a haze of pain and confusion._

_His ivory eyes were bloodshot and wet, tears dripping down them in a reluctant stream. Sakura opened her mouth to say something, anything, to ask what's wrong, but he silenced her by leaning in and kissing her with such passion that she felt the wind knock out of her. Suddenly, her heart was beating so loudly in her ear drums that she couldn't hear anything but him. It was just him and her, and her jade eyes closed easily as his tongue darted out to trace her lower lip. Obligingly, she opened up to him, and he pulled her closer if it was possible. _

_Pushing her back onto the couch so she was laying down, he towered over her, never breaking contact with her as he pressed his body heat completely onto her. Sakura felt an unfamiliar warmth begin to tingle within the pit of her stomach as Kaede's hands roamed up and down her body, leaving feather light touches and goose bumps in their wake. They would be at her stomach one moment, her sides the next, and then tracing patterns on her hips. _

_Sakura let out a low, breathy groan when his lips left her mouth and traveled down the side of her neck, leaving open mouthed kisses and love bites as he went. Another low moan emanated from her when his hands slid up her shirt and cupped her, and he suddenly stopped his ministrations to stare at the woman lying beneath him as she mewled under him in protest at his sudden lack of attention. _

"_Sakura," he said it so low and husky that there was a visceral reaction within her, warming her insides and exciting her body. "I need you…but only if you will have me. Only if you're ready and only if you want this."_

_Sakura looked at him contemplatively for a moment before circling her arms around his neck and forcing his lips to hers because right now, she needed him just as much as he seemed to need her. His hands slid out from under her shirt and he lifted her from the couch, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bedroom. Laying her down on the bed, he quickly divested them of all of their clothing, peppering her with kisses the entire time. _

_As he lay on top of her, her eyes dark in a haze of lust, he asked her "Are you sure?" one more time. Sakura nodded and braced herself for the pain. _

_It hurt, oh god it hurt, but it was worth it. Even though she didn't reach that level of euphoria that Ino had always talked about with the men she was with, it was so much better than she'd ever imagined. Even though it hurt and it was uncomfortable, she reveled in how he made her feel. There was only him and her for a few minutes. There was no war, there was no family, there were no clan obligations, or hospitals or shinobi or fighting or hurting or anything of that nature. _

_There was just him, leaning over her, moving with her, whispering how much he loved her and how much she meant to him in her ear. And she knew that he meant it. It wasn't just because she was finally making love to him or that she was giving him her virginity; it was because he truly felt what he was saying to her. _

_After, as he held her in his arms and was stroking the sweaty hair out of her face and kissing her forehead tenderly, she finally asked him what had happened. Kaede looked at her for several moments, as if deciding something._

"_I fought Uchiha Sasuke today," he finally admitted._

X

Sakura was late returning home. The interrogation she and Ino had led had gone on much longer than she had anticipated. It was also much less successful than she had expected. Like the others who had been captured sneaking around Fire Country, this man did not succumb to her tortures. Instead, he killed himself by biting on his tongue and swallowing it, suffocating himself to death. That brought on a whole new slew of paperwork and problems, stranding Sakura at the office much later than she had wanted. Usually she would bully Ino into doing the paperwork, but Shikamaru was returning from a mission, and the blonde hadn't seen her boyfriend in quite a while.

So Sakura sent Kakashi to find Sasuke and Masaaki around 6 and relieve Sai of his guard duties. It was nearly eight at night now as she unlocked her door and opened it…

To find Kakashi in the kitchen making tea and Sasuke sitting on the living room couch smearing some sort of liquid on her son's lips and hands and then bandaging them.

"Don't heal them," he ordered her without looking up. Sakura bristled at his tone instantly, but he finally turned to her and looked at her with such earnest yet demanding eyes that she could only nod.

"What happened?" she finally asked, setting down her bag full of reports and medical papers, walking over to her son and his new sensei.

"I taught him the Great Fire Ball technique and he burned himself," Sasuke replied easily. "But it's common. If he's a fire user, he needs to burn himself a few times in order to toughen his skin. I barely get burns anymore."

Sakura shook her head in exasperation but continued on to the kitchen. Thanking Kakashi for the blueberry tea, she went into her room and changed into an oversized t-shirt and shorts. Taking a few calming breaths, she went back into the living room to assess the damage to her son. Kakashi was gone, seemingly leaving since Sakura had returned home.

Masaaki's lips already had two small bandages over them, so he couldn't really vocalize how awesome the fire jutsu that he had learned today was. And after three whole hours of practicing, he was even able to create a fireball the size of a house! But that would have to wait until later, the boy decided as Sasuke smeared more of the smelly balm on his right forearm and hand where he had been burned.

Sasuke's balm seemed to be a homemade concoction of honey, lavender, and baking soda. All he would tell her is that it was an Uchiha family secret. He then put a small piece of onion on the burn and wrapped Masaaki's right hand in the bandage.

"They'll feel better in the morning," Sasuke told Masaaki, who shook his head in response. Sakura could see the glow in Masaaki's eyes as he looked at his sensei, adoration pouring out of his verdant orbs in one of his worst cases of hero-worship that she'd ever seen. Something uncomfortable stirred in the pit of her stomach. It was an unnamed emotion that wasn't bad, but she couldn't quite place it as good either. Sasuke seemed to notice the intense adulation as well, and he shifted uncomfortable, not used to such intense devotion from a child. He announced quietly, "You did very well today."

Masaaki's eyes sparkled brighter. Sakura smile weakly at her son.

"Let's get you to bed, short stuff," she said quietly. Masaaki went to protest, but his whines and whimpers were muffled by the small bandages on his lips. Sakura smiled down at him and turned to Sasuke. "I could get used to this."

Sasuke smirked at her and that thing, that unnamed emotion, welled within her again before she turned from him abruptly, hiding the pink dusting across her cheeks. Before Masaaki made his way up the stairs with his mother, he jumped from the couch and hugged Sasuke around the waist, quickly releasing him and running to catch up with his mother.

Sasuke just stared at the boy. No one had never hugged him without his permission, save Sakura those few times when they were genin, and some unlucky fan-girls who had to then deal with the Uchiha wrath. Sakura was staring back at him, and when he looked up to meet her eye, she quickly looked away before she could read his expression.

"I think you should marry sensei," Masaaki announced the moment that Sakura had closed the door to his bedroom. Sakura rolled her eyes, ignoring the clenching feeling in her stomach that had been present since she'd returned home. "I like him."

"I'm sure you do," Sakura replied. She watched as Masaaki undressed himself and pulled out the blue footy pajamas that he wanted to wear. He slipped it on and Sakura zipped him up, and he quickly pulled himself into bed. Suddenly, he was very tired. It was a long day, and he had used more chakra today than he had in his entire life. Sensei was tough, but he was strong enough to handle it.

Since he was much too tired to continue the conversation, he allowed his mother to kiss him on the forehead. Grabbing his favorite stuffed dog, he turned over and shut his eyes. He was fast asleep before Sakura had even turned off his life and left the door cracked.

When she returned downstairs, a sense of completion washed over her as it did every time she saw her son. Sasuke was sitting on the couch, sipping his own tea and looking at a photo that had been sitting on the mantle of the fireplace. Sakura's stomach dropped when she realized the photo he was holding.

"You fought him once," she announced suddenly. Sasuke's black eyes darted up to her for a moment before focusing on the picture. A happy Sakura, a Sakura from a different time, was being held bridal style by the man who must be Hyuuga Kaede. They were both dirty and had clearly just gotten out of a battle, but they both were glimmering with happiness.

"Aa," Sasuke replied. "I remember. He was ANBU, so I never saw his face, but I knew he was in love with you."

Sakura sat down next to him, clenching and unclenching her fingers as she stared at the picture nervously. She finally admitted quietly, "He never told me what happened. He just came back home really upset one night and told me that he fought you."

Sasuke had a decision to make. Would he tell Sakura the truth of the horrible things he had done to her love? Gritting his teeth, he chose to be honest.

"While I was with Orochimaru, I developed a genjutsu that would show your worst fears and nightmares in such clarity that the victim thinks that it's real," Sasuke replied evenly. "As the caster of the jutsu, I see it as well. We saw your death in the worst possible ways. At first I thought it was Naruto or Kakashi I was fighting, but the fear of your death was too…intimate."

Sakura shuddered and inched away from him, her eyes blank as she processed the information he was feeding her. Sasuke continued, "I ended it as soon as I realized who he was so afraid of losing. I couldn't watch it either."

The admission made Sakura's breathing hitched and she met his eye. His gaze was so intense that the breath suddenly fell from her completely.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke stood up and began making his way up stairs. He was tired. Masaaki was a handful, and he had insisted on practicing until almost seven o'clock tonight – almost six hours of straight training was tiring for any shinobi. He was surprised that the boy had lasted so long.

Sakura stayed on the couch, watching Sasuke leave. Before he disappeared at the top of the steps, he admitted, "It was the last time I used that jutsu, and I'll never use it again."

* * *

AN: There's another chapter! I'm sorry if it was a bit choppy. I'm trying to develop the plot a little more. Thank you for reading!


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